U.S. seeks 'clarification' from Maliki on reported Iraqi arms purchase from Iran.

U.S. seeks 'clarification' from Maliki on reported Iraqi arms purchase from Iran. HT: UskowiOnIran.

According to BBC News:

The US has said it is "seeking clarification" over a report that Iraq has signed a deal with Iran to buy arms in violation of a UN embargo.

State department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that if the $195m (£117m) deal for weapons and ammunition was confirmed, it "would raise serious concerns".

[...]

A spokesman for Iraq's prime minister neither confirmed nor denied the deal.

However, he said it would be understandable given Iraq's security troubles, which have seen al-Qaeda-aligned militants step up sectarian attacks and take control of parts of the cities of Ramadi and Falluja.

"We are launching a war against terrorism and we want to win this war. Nothing prevents us from buying arms and ammunition from any party and it's only ammunition helping us to fight terrorists," Ali Moussawi added.

Iran's ambassador in Baghdad, Hasan Danaifar, told the Mehr news agency on Tuesday that no arms deal had been signed.

[...]

Ms Psaki said the US had provided more than $15bn (£9bn) in military and security equipment, services and training.

It has recently shipped Hellfire missiles, hundreds of small arms and large quantities of small arms and tank ammunition. The Pentagon is also ready to sell more missiles and 24 Apache attack helicopters.

"We certainly view the government of Iraq as a partner in the fight against terrorism and we're committed to supporting them," Ms Psaki added.

This may or may not be a case of Iraq again leveraging relations with Iran, in its dealings with the United States. For some time now, the Iraqis have been insisting on expedited arms deliveries from the United States. Whether this form of leverage will work this time around has yet to be seen.

That said, in the event of strengthened defense ties between Iraq and Iran, the Iranians do possess a level of battlefield observation and applied experiences in the Syrian conflict, against same or similar foes opposing Iraq. As a result of this, the IRGC-QF has developed and employed armor/infantry tactics for the urban battlefield, SF night operations, heliborne operations, UAV deployments and more. The Iraqis might possibly be interested in such, seeing potential compatibility for Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) currently engaging ISIS/ISIL forces.

Additionally, as a result of Iran's experiences during the Iran-Iraq War where it was the focus of a restrictive arms embargo, the Iranians have sought and developed a level of self-sufficiency in the field of arms manufacture and servicing. Iran currently manufactures ammunition and service parts for its heavy weapon types, as well as manufacturing small arms, rockets, electronics and more. It is this level of Iranian self-sufficiency of arms certain elements of the Iraqi government are apparently signalling an intent or potential intent of tapping into. Hmmm....Obama: If We Work Hard, Afghanistan Could Be a Success...Like Iraq!.

Related: Iraq turns to Iran and Russia for arms to fight terrorism

Below are examples of commonality for Iranian/Iraqi weapon and military equipment types:

Iraq turns to Iran and Russia for arms to fight terrorism

Iraq turns to Iran and Russia for arms to fight terrorism.(Reuters).

According to Reuters:

Iran has signed a deal to sell Iraq arms and ammunition worth $195 million, according to documents seen by Reuters - a move that would break a U.N. embargo on weapons sales by Tehran.

The agreement was reached at the end of November, the documents showed, just weeks after Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki returned from lobbying the Obama administration in Washington for extra weapons to fight al Qaeda-linked militants.

Some in Washington are nervous about providing sensitive U.S. military equipment to a country they worry is becoming too close to Iran. Several Iraqi lawmakers said Maliki had made the deal because he was fed up with delays in U.S. arms deliveries.

"We are launching a war against terrorism and we want to win this war. Nothing prevents us from buying arms and ammunition from any party and it's only ammunition helping us to fight terrorists," said the spokesman, Ali Mussawi.

The official documents seen by Reuters showed that six of eight contracts were signed with Iran's Defense Industries Organization to supply Iraq with light and medium arms, mortar launchers, ammunition for tanks as well as artillery and mortars.

A final two contracts were agreed to with the state-owned Iran Electronic Industries for night vision goggles, communications equipment and mortar-guiding devices.

One of the contracts includes equipment to protect against chemical agents. An Iraqi army major with knowledge of procurement issues said that would include items such as gas masks and gloves, as well as injections. Baghdad has expressed fear the militants will use such agents against its forces.

Where United States policy priorities preference the conflict in Syria and Iraq as a dictatorship putting down a democracy movement or Sunni disenfranchisement, the nations of Syria, Iraq and Iran (and Russia) see the conflict as a war against terror.

Iraq's first choice for arms is from the United States. But the Baghdad government finds American prerequisites conditional for timely or expedited deliveries as meddling in their internal affairs, and a weakening of resolve in a conflict they're approaching squarely as counter-terrorism. Meanwhile, the Iranians position themselves as the more reliable, regional ally.

At the very least, Baghdad is signaling strengthened defense ties with Tehran should specified United States arms deliveries remain, as the Iraqis see it, delinquent. Hmmm....Obama: 'If We Work Hard, Afghanistan Could Be a Success...Like Iraq!'

Iraqi Sunni Grand Mufti accuses Maliki of ‘genocide’ in Anbar.

Iraqi Sunni Grand Mufti accuses Maliki of ‘genocide’ in Anbar.(NCRI).

Sheikh Al-Rifa’i says dialogue with Maliki “pointless,” calls for international intervention

Brussels, Asharq Al-Awsat —Sheikh Rafi Al-Rifa’i, the Sunni Grand Mufti of Iraq, hit out at the Iraqi government on Sunday, saying dialogue with Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki was “pointless,” and described the events in Fallujah as “genocide.”

Rifa’i’s comments came as Iraqi military forces continued to surround the city of Fallujah in Iraq’s Anbar province, after it was seized by insurgents in January. Iraqi security forces also continued to clash with insurgents in other areas of the province.

The situation in the province remains chaotic, with different tribal factions siding with or against the central government in Baghdad in its attempts to reassert control of the Sunni-majority province, which was the site of major anti-government protests last year against perceived sectarian bias on the part of the government and security forces.

Adding to the turmoil, members of jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda are reported to be among the insurgents, including members of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The Iraqi military declared a 72-hour ceasefire in Fallujah on Saturday, which is due to expire today.

Rifa’i accused the government of being “unable to hold dialogue and only knows how to kill, oppress and displace, and knows oppression in all its meanings.”

He added: “We never stopped talking, and now it [the government] is fighting us in our province, Anbar Province, under the guise that we are ISIS. Anbar was the province which fought against Al-Qaeda, and Maliki and his party and supporters had no role in fighting terrorism in the province. Now they are fighting the people of the province as if they were terrorists, and the solution is for the international community to play its role because it was they who imposed on us these ugly types who took us to this stage, and the international community must rectify the damage it caused.”

Rifa’i, who was in Brussels with a group to attend a conference on human rights in Iraq organized by the European Parliament, said that sectarian tensions in Anbar and the rest of Iraq had been stoked by political leaders for their own ends.

In his speech at the conference, Rifa’i said: “I come to you from a country where human rights are totally ignored. I left on the ground in Fallujah my brother’s blood which had not yet dried, where he was torn to pieces with three of his neighbors in front of their wives and children, the same as dozens of children, women, old men and youths who were killed cold-bloodedly by the arbitrary bombardment;part of the government’s strategy in its war on the people [and opponents] under the pretext of fighting terrorism.”

He added: “The Iraqi government, represented by the prime minister and commander of the armed forces, exercises hateful sectarianism which uses excessive force against Iraqi people, and the Sunnis in Iraq have suffered most from the injustice of this government.”

Rifa’i warned that what was taking place today in Fallujah and other areas of Anbar was “genocide in which the current Iraqi government [has] used all kinds of heavy and medium weaponry . . The Iraqi government was intent on dividing the people, leading to a civil war in which the only loser would be the Iraqi people.”

He told Asharq Al-Awsat: “Sunnis ruled the country for 1,400 years and what did the Shi’ites say? They said they had no role in Iraq. I say to them that, for instance, 70 percent of Ba’ath Party members were Shi’ites and 37 of 55 most wanted [members of the previous regime] were Shi’ites, and everyone knows that the Ba’ath Party was not Sunni and did not rule people in the name of Sunnis.”

In response to a question on whether he agreed with comments at the conference about the suffering of Christians in Iraq, Rifa’i said: “Of course. I was visited two weeks ago by the new patriarch of the Levant Church along with the ambassador of the Vatican and other Christian dignitaries . . They know that we care about them as we do about ourselves, because religions share fate . . and this fate is enough to make us brothers who love and support each other in order to eradicate misery from this country.”

The Sunni Mufti said Iraq needed internal and external initiatives to find solutions to the current situation in the country and that he personally supported the internal solutions.

He also pointed the finger of blame to some outside the country. “Everyone knows there are external forces that have agendas that work inside Iraq, which means we need internal and external solutions . . we demanded that the EU and the international community do their moral and legal duty because they were part of the reason which took Iraq to this stage and they must correct the mistakes they made.”

He added: “There are no problems between Iraqis, but there are political gangs who have taken over people’s money, their fortunes and their dignities . . and the way out is to dispose of these gangs. [They] came in the name of political and religious parties [but] all we saw from them was that they had no link to religion whatsoever.”

Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti Abdul-Aziz ibn Abdullah Al ash-Sheikh urges youths to avoid Syria war.

Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti Abdul-Aziz ibn Abdullah Al ash-Sheikh urges youths to avoid Syria war.(PressTV).

Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Abdul-Aziz ibn Abdullah Al ash-Sheikh has urged young Saudis not to join militant groups in Syria fighting against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

According to al-Hayat newspaper, the Saudi mufti on Monday warned against the inflow of Saudi men into Syria, saying, “This is all wrong, it’s not obligatory.”

“These are feuding factions and one should not go there. I do not advise one to go there,” the mufti said.
Ash-Sheikh also criticized preachers who push Saudi young men into the war in Syria.
“Muslim should be fearful of God and not deceive young Muslims and exploit their weakness and lack of insight and push them to an abyss,” he said.

This is while Saudi Arabia has been supporting foreign-backed militants to change the balance of power on the ground since the beginning of unrest in Syria.

During a meeting in the Jordanian capital Amman in September, Riyadh guaranteed to continue its financial and logistic support for the militants, including al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front terrorists.
Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies — especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey — are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.
The United Nations says four million more Syrians will be forced out of their homes in 2014 by the escalating conflict in the country.

Two million Syrians are expected to take refuge outside the country while another 2.25 million are predicted to be internally displaced next year.

MFS -The Other News - What the main papers don't say.

                    Morning Posting.

• Updated !Earthquakes in the last 24 hours in the world seismic activity situation Turkey 4.9 !More info here.

• Fast and Furious Bombshell: Holder Toast; Damning E-mails released.(BN).Looks like there has been another Friday night document dump from the White House on Fast and Furious and the e-mails included in that dump show that Attorney General Eric Holder was informed about Brian Terry's death within 24 hours AND that Fast and Furious guns were found at the scene.
  The most damaging email exchange for Holder appears to be one between then Arizona US Attorney, Dennis Burke and Holder Deputy Chief of Staff, Monty Wilkinson.NPR has the emails. I've posted screen shots of the two exchanges that point to Holder committing perjury when he said on May 3rd that he'd first learned about Fast and Furious a "few weeks" earlier. He later had to concede that he knew about the operation approximately two months earlier and tried to argue that eight weeks could still be classified as "a few."First, the email in which Burke notified Wilkinson that Border Patrol Agent, Brian Terry had died after being shot near the Mexican border. Note Wilkinson's response. He says that he has alerted the Attorney General. This shows that Holder was informed of Terry's death within hours.Holder is in deep, deep trouble here. This all comes out just days before Holder is set to appear in front of the committee that Rep. Darrell Issa chairs. On February 2nd, Holder will be in front of the Oversight Committee.As Sipsey Street points out, these emails are the ones that the White House voluntarily released, which indicates they may be willing to throw Holder under the bus now. That leads to another very interesting question.What is the level of White House involvement?Hmmmm........A "black sheep, a black sheep for my presidency"?Read the full story here.
  

• Catholic Church: tell Sebelius you will not obey.(NWV).By: Devvy.The Department of Health and Human Services is unconstitutional. It's nothing more than a trillion dollar a year rape of the American people's labor to fund more welfare and programs that financially support sin and the death culture.Last week, under the administration of the impostor president squatting in the White House, a new regulation was announced which would "require virtually all employers to offer insurance coverage of sterilization, abortifacients and contraceptives without deductibles or co-pays in their employee plans by Aug. 1. Churches are exempt, but not religiously inspired hospitals, schools and other charities that hire outside their faith tradition."Exempt: houses of worship and their employees, as well as other institutions whose primary purpose is to promote religious belief. Where this unconstitutional "order" will hit hard are religious-affiliated hospitals, colleges and social service agencies. DHS is headed up by yet another female who oozes evil: Kathleen Sebelius. She joins the ranks of Hillary Clinton, Condelezza Rice, Janet Butch Reno and Jan 'the man' Napolitano. Sebelius never misses an opportunity to advocate and fund the killing of unborn babies, which is why Obama/Soetoro selected her for that position. Of course, the U.S. Senate confirmed her appointment including phony conservatives like former Sen. Sam Brownback. What a hypocrite. Here is the roll call vote back in 2009. Sebelius claims to be Catholic. She is not. She should be denied entrance to any Catholic church because you cannot support killing unborn babies and claim to be Catholic.But then again, 54% of Catholics allegedly voted for the other champion of killing babies: Obama/Soetoro in 2008. They slapped God right in the face for false promises of "hope and change".Read the full story here.

• The Silent Anschluss: Germany Formally Requests That Greece Hand Over Its Fiscal Independence.(ZeroHedge).It was tried previously (several times) under "slightly different" circumstances, and failed. Yet when it comes to taking over a country without spilling even one drop of blood, and converting its citizens into debt slaves, Germany's Merkel may have just succeeded where so many of her predecessors failed. According to a Reuters exclusive, "Germany is pushing for Greece to relinquish control over its budget policy to European institutions as part of discussions over a second rescue package, a European source told Reuters on Friday." Reuters add: "There are internal discussions within the Euro group and proposals, one of which comes from Germany, on how to constructively treat country aid programs that are continuously off track, whether this can simply be ignored or whether we say that's enough," the source said.' So while the great distraction that is the Charles Dallara "negotiation" with Hedge Funds continues (as its outcome is irrelevant: a Greece default is assured at this point), the real development once again was behind the scenes where Germany was cleanly and clinically taking over Greece. Because while today it is the fiscal apparatus, tomorrow it is the legislative. As for the executive: who cares. At that point Goldman will merely appoint one of its retired partners as Greek president and Greece will become the first 21st century German, pardon, European colony. But at least it will have its precious euro.Hmmmm.......Der Euro muss Lebensraum haben?Read the full story here.

• Sharm el-Sheikh - French tourist killed, German injured in Egypt resort town.(BikyaMasr).CAIRO: A French tourist was shot dead in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh on Saturday, Egyptian officials said. A German tourist was also injured in the shooting.The German man is receiving medical care at the Southern Sinai hospital and his condition is stable, said Khaled Fouda, governor of South Sinai.Fouda said that two out of the three attackers were killed in an exchange of fire with the police already present at a local market. The third man was arrested.Officials in the coastal tourist destination confirmed to Bikyamasr.com an Associated Press report saying that the 42-year-old man was shot in the stomach and thigh, although AP reported numerous differing accounts of the incident.The official, and a police officer speaking to AP, both said that the shooting occurred in the Old Souk in the town as a revenge shooting of a tribesman who had been shot dead by police earlier in the day.The men were caught in the crossfire.However, military officials reported to AP that the man was caught in the crossfire of a bank robbery in the town.Residents of the city say this is the second attempt to raid the same currency exchange.Read the full story here.

• 1000s Islamists hold anti-US demo in Karachi.(PT).Thousands of supporters of Pakistan's Jamiat Ulema-e Islam party have gathered in Karachi to condemn US assassination drone attacks in the northwestern border regions.About 100,000 JUI supporters held a demonstration organized by Jamiat Ulema-e Islam in front of the mausoleum of the founding father of Pakistan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, on Friday.JUI leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman said the United States will face an “imminent defeat” in Afghanistan.Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas have been hit by several airstrikes carried out by US assassination drones since the beginning of 2012. On Monday, Pakistani officials said at least five people were killed in a US drone attack in the North Waziristan tribal area, close to the Afghan border.The demonstrators in Karachi also demanded that the Pakistani government continue the blockade on the NATO supply route to Afghanistan.Read the full story here.

• Egypt gets dumped by its Washington lobbyists.(FP).By Josh Rogin.All three of the lobbying firms representing the Egyptian government in Washington, D.C., dropped Egypt as a client late Friday amid widespread criticism of the ruling military council's raid of U.S. NGOs in Cairo and its refusal to let American NGO workers leave the country.The Livingston Group, run by former Rep. Bob Livingston (R-LA), the Moffett Group, run by former Rep. Toby Moffett (D-CT), and the Podesta Group, run by Tony Podesta, unanimously severed their combined $90,000 per month contract with the Egyptian government, Politico reported late Friday, quoting Livingston directly. The three firms had formed what is known as the PLM Group, a lobbying entity created to advocate on behalf of the regime of former President Hosni Mubarak, who was deposed in February 2011 after 18 days of massive street protests. According to the disclosure filings, Egypt has paid PLM more than $4 million since 2007.The trio came under fire last week for circulating talking points defending Egypt's Dec. 29 raid of several NGOs working to train political parties in Egypt, including three organizations partially funded by the U.S. government. The groups had been working in Egypt for years without being technically registered with the government, but now stand accused of fomenting unrest against the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), which has been ruling the country since Mubarak's ouster."It is bad enough when the actions of American lobbyists conflict with U.S. national interests. It is far worse when their influence-peddling undermines American values, as the Egyptian government's lobbyists in Washington are doing in this instance," said Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) in a Jan. 24 statement. McCain is the chairman of the board of the International Republican Institute (IRI), one of the groups that had their Cairo offices raided. The other two groups were the National Democratic Institute, whose board is chaired by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, and Freedom House.Read the full story here.

• Egypt says it ended US lobbyists' contract.(DS).CAIRO: Egypt's Foreign Ministry said in a statement Sunday that it has ended a contract with three Washington lobbying firms to cut expenses, denying reports that the firms were the ones to have terminated the contract.The rupture occurred as Cairo comes under criticism in Washington for banning at least 10 Americans and Europeans from leaving the country as part of an investigation into foreign-funded civil society organizations.Among those barred was Sam LaHood of the U.S.-based International Republican Institute, who is the son of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.The Egyptian Foreign Ministry's statement was issued two days after Politico reported that former Republican Rep. Bob Livingston, former Democratic Rep. Toby Moffett and longtime lobbyist Tony Podesta ended their contract with the Egyptian government.The lobbying firms could not be reached immediately for comment.Meanwhile, a delegation from Egypt's Defense Ministry has arrived in New York, Cairo's state news agency reported.Read the full story here.

• U.N. resolution on Syria to be redrafted as Ban Ki-moon calls for end to bloodshed.(AlArabiya).U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said Sunday that President Bashar al-Assad, whose regime had absolute control over Syria until a sustained and increasingly violent challenge to its rule, must end the killings in his country.“First and foremost, he must stop immediately the bloodshed,” Ban told reporters. “The Syrian leadership should take a decisive action at this time to stop this violence. All the violence must stop.”Assad’s opponents have sought to ramp up pressure on the international community for UN action after the Arab League withdrew its observers amid mounting violence.Ban called directly on Assad, saying that as leader he had an “important responsibility (to) resolve this situation (and) engage in political dialogue.”According to an AFP tally taken from reports by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and state media, at least 232 people − among them 147 civilians − have been killed since last Tuesday.European and Arab U.N. members early Sunday started rewriting a proposed Security Council resolution condemning Syria’s deadly crackdown on dissent after the Arab League suspended its monitoring mission in Syria.The Arab League took the decision on Saturday days after calling on Assad to step down and make way for a government of national unity. It will take an Arab peace plan to the U.N. Security Council next week.Read the full story here.

• Islamic Scholars speak out in favor of “electronic Jihad” against the enemy.(AlArabiya).In light of the increasing support of “the electronic Jihad” and the divergence of views regarding this subject, Islamic scholars have underlined their support for this new phenomenon, arguing that “any attempt to spite the enemy and endorse religion is legitimate”. They consider that Muslim youth involved in this phenomenon are in fact leading a jihad”. But what do those who refuse to support this phenomenon have to say? They believe that “bringing down the enemy’s electronic devices could help in realizing certain objectives in some instances, but it can also be harmful if done at the wrong time.”They noted that there is “a large number of people in the world who sympathize with Israel and might get involved in this battle, which would widen the circle of damage.”On the other hand, Sheikh Fahd Bin Saad Al Jahni, a professor of sharia graduate studies, says that “in Islam, the Jihad is a broad concept that could be defined according to the interpretation of the and texts that cite the jihad. There are many types of jihad: the personal jihad, the jihad by money, and verbal Jihad. The last type includes the intellectual jihad, jihad by composition and by the call to God”.Al Jahni added that “any attempt to spite the enemy and empower the religion must be conducted by legitimate means and according to Muslim rules. Therefore, religion could be widely empowered through electronic websites. This is what some people call “the electronic Jihad”. Thus, the terminology is correct, but it is the definition that matters as well as the extent to which the concept respects the legitimate procedure.” “Therefore, I believe that the young Muslims who are striving to take advantage of this wide electronic window and fight the perverted ideology or shut down obscene websites and the websites of those who offended and dishonored the people of Islam and put hand on their holy sites like the Zionist aggressors, are using all legitimate means and are indeed leading a jihad provided they don’t exceed the limit of God in their rivalry,” Al Jahni said. Moreover, Abdullah Al Aalwit, a Muslim law researcher, pointed to the fact that electronic jihad means “destroying the enemy’s electronic devices or surreptitiously taking valuable information from these devices.” He confirmed that “the electronic jihad, like any other type of ihad, is legitimate in determined instances and might be harmful if used at the wrong time and in the wrong circumstances.” “However, it is clear that the nation’s condition does not allow any type of Jihad against any of its enemies because our enemies are way more advanced than we are in all kinds of fields. If an electronic war shall erupt, it is expected to have serious repercussions due to the big number of those who sympathize with Israel in the world and who might enter this battle, which would widen the circle of damage,” he added.Dr. Mustafa Mourad, professor at Al Azhar University, said that “the electronic jihad is a type of jihad because jihad is not limited to military weapons or any other type of painful means. Under jihad, it is possible to use any tool that might fulfill the goal behind the attack against the enemies of God in response to their attempts to violate our rights and seize our holy sites.”Hmmmmm........US reaction lets crack down on copyright infraction.Read the full story here.

• Mexican Swine Flu Outbreak Kills 29, Infects Nearly 1,500.(Fox).Bringing back memories from three years ago, when the swine flu closed Mexico City and caused an international scare, the media is now warning of an alarming increase in cases of the flu virus, while the government insists there is no cause for alarm. Federal and state health officials agree there is an increase, but they say the number of cases is within the range of a normal flu season.The Mexican health ministry, however, has listed confusing numbers on its website and it hasn't specified the rise in cases despite repeated requests from The Associated Press.Meanwhile, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday that while Mexico is seeing more cases of the H1N1 virus, the U.S. is seeing more cases of a different strain, H3N2. Antibodies for both are part of this year's flu vaccine. H1N1 is now considered a seasonal flu.
  The health ministry on Sunday reported 637 cases of confirmed flu cases so far in 2012 along with 10 deaths — nine of them associated with 573 cases of H1N1.On Jan. 15, it reported far lower numbers: 181 confirmed cases for all strains of flu and five deaths for 2012, meaning cases would have increased 250 percent in just one week.Read the full story here.
  
   

• Iranian Religious Leader: We're Already Nuclear.(INN).Senior Iranian religious leader Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami said on Friday that Iran is already a nuclear state and that Americans have not realized that.“The United States says it will not allow Iran to be nuclear, but it is so blind that it hasn’t noticed that Iran has already become a nuclear state,” Khatami was quoted by Channel 10 News as having said. He added that the U.S. has become isolated in the region, after its four “slaves” were removed from power. He was referring to former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, former Libyan strongman Muammar Qaddafi, former Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.Khatami also addressed the EU’s embargo on Iranian oil imports, which was announced this week, and said that the Europeans decided to wait with the implementation of the sanctions until July because their economic situation is no better than Iran’s.“Why did the Europeans decide to wait half a year before implementing the sanctions? The answer is simple - the Europeans have their own serious trouble - they were hit by the financial crisis,” he said.Khatami added the embargo will hurt Europe more than it will hurt Iran, because Saudi Arabia will not be able to provide the required amount of oil to Europe, while the sanctions will only hurt 18 percent of Iran’s oil exports. Read the full story here.

• Norway: Two Iranian converts attacked bymasked men, called 'kuffar'.(IIE).Two Iranians who converted from Islam to Christianity were stabbed by masked me in Haugesund last week. The attacker shouted 'Kuffar' (Arabic for non-believer) during the attack.The attack happened Tuesday evening, when both Christian Iranians were out walking in Haugesund. They were suddenly attacked by three masked men armed with knives, who shouted 'kuffar' while they stabbed the two.A nurse passing by gave first aid and then an ambulance brought them to hospital, reports Haugesunds Avis.According to the police, one of the victims was stabbed twice in the back and the other was stabbed in his side. No perpetrators have been caught.The two victims want to remain anonymous and have not spoken of the assault. They've lived in Norway for many years. One of them converted in Norway, the other did so in Iran and managed to flee to Norway after he was abused and imprisoned for his faith.They're both active in a local evangelical church.Read the full story here.

• Saudi grand mufti: Twitter is full of lies.(JPost).The Saudi grand mufti on Friday called social-networking website Twitter full of lies, a day after the site announced that it would begin restricting Tweets in specific countries.The news from the social media platform is renewing questions over how it will handle issues of free speech as it rapidly expands its global user base.Until now, Twitter had to remove a tweet from its global network if it received a takedown request from a government.But the company said in a blog post published on Thursday that it now has the ability to selectively block a Tweet from appearing to users in one country.“Starting today, we give ourselves the ability to reactively withhold content from users in a specific country while keeping it available in the rest of the world,” the Twitter blog said.Twitter gave as examples of restrictions it might cooperate with, such as pro-Nazi content in France and Germany, where it is banned. It said that even with the possibility of such restrictions, Twitter would not be able to operate with some countries.“Some differ so much from our ideas that we will not be able to exist there,” it said.“As we continue to grow internationally, we will enter countries that have different ideas about the contours of freedom of expression.”Saudi Grand Mufti Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh said in his Friday sermon in Riyadh that Muslims should avoid being a “source or feeding” Twitter, the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper reported.Twitter was a place “in which people are invited to throw charges between them, and to lie in a manner that brings fame to some,” he said.The 71-year-old cleric called on those present to warn people about such sites, adding that positive sites do exist on the Internet concerning science, business and God.Despite the grand mufti’s caution over the website, Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal’s Kingdom Holding Company announced in December that it would invest $300 million in the social-media site.“Our investment in Twitter reaffirms our ability in identifying suitable opportunities to invest in promising, high-growth businesses with a global impact,” Alwaleed said, according to BBC.Hmmmm.....Prince Alwaleed bin Talal’s investment has nothing to do with the new ristrictions of free speech.Ooooooh look a Unicorn.Read the full story here.

• Oldest case of prostate cancer in ancient Egypt uncovered.(BM).CAIRO: An international research team in Lisbon has diagnosed the oldest case of prostate cancer in ancient Egypt and the second oldest case in the world.Using high-resolution computerized tomography (CT) scanners, the researchers identified the cancer in a mummy subject known as M1.“Cancer is such a hot topic these days; experts are constantly trying to probe in hopes of answering the one question- when and how did the ailment really evolve?” said Salima Ikram; member of the research team and professor of Egyptology at The American University in Cairo (AUC).“Findings such as these bring us one step closer to finding the cause of cancer, and, ultimately, the cure to a disease that has besieged mankind for so long.”The study, published in the International Journal of Paleopathology used CT scans with pixel resolution of 0.33 millimeters on three Egyptian mummies from the collection of the National Archaeological Museum in Lisbon.The images revealed several small, round, dense bone lesions located mainly in M1’s pelvis, spine and proximal limbs, indicative of metastatic prostate cancer.Until recently, researchers have believed the widespread occurrence of carcinogens in food and in the environment were the main causes of cancer in the modern industrial age.However, according to Ikram, “We’re starting to see that the causes of cancer seem to be less environmental, more genetic. Living conditions in ancient times were very different; there were no pollutants or modified foods, which leads us to believe that the disease is not necessarily only linked to industrial factors.”Read the full story here.

• Video: Divers find large, unexplained object at bottom of Baltic Sea.(Yahoo).A team of salvage divers has discovered an unexplained object resting at the bottom of the Baltic Sea near Sweden.“This thing turned up. My first reaction was to tell the guys that we have a UFO here on the bottom,” said Peter Lindberg, the leader of the treasure hunters.Sonar readings show that the mysterious object is about 60 meters across, or, about the size of a jumbo jet. And it’s not alone. Nearby on the sea floor is another, smaller object with a similar shape. Even more fascinating, both objects have “drag marks” behind them on the sea floor, stretching back more than 400 feet.But Lindberg says the ship theory doesn't really hold up because of the unusually large size of the objects. "Of course it would be something from another ship but it's quite big," he told CNN. Lindberg notes that some observers have speculated that the objects may be Russian warships built around the end of the 1800's. However, Lindberg points out that not only were those ships much smaller, they were not patrolling the Baltic during that era.The Ocean Explorer team first made their find back in August and had no plans to return to the scene. For now, Lindberg is waiting for calmer waters in the Baltic, possibly in May, before taking his salvage team to the bottom for a closer look at the mysterious objects. They originally had no plans to return to the spot, but the spike in interest from the public has led them to begin planning a return trip.Read and see the full story here.

MFS - The Other News

                     Morning  Posting.

• Live broadcast info from Japan directly ! Here.

• Libya Live Blog - March 30. Here .(Al-Jazeera)And  here (BBC).

• Sirya live blog - March 30  here.(Al -Jazeera).

• Updated !Earthquakes in the last 24 hours in the world seismic activity in Japan between 4.6 and 5.4 today. More info here.

• Latest official Situation Update No. 66.Source.

• Obama: I Say My Prayers Every Night…In an interview with Diane Sawyer, President Obama spoke confidently about the mission in Libya, while also taking a moment to make light of some recent criticism he’s received. Obama predicted that Gaddafi knows “the noose is tightening” and that the people of Libya will soon be free from being under his control.
  Obama reveals to Sawyer:

I do a lot of praying. Absolutely. Every night, right before I go to bed. You know, and I am praying that – I’m making the best possible decisions, and that I’ve got the strength to serve the American people well. And frankly as President of the United States, you know, your responsibilities extend beyond beyond our borders. And these decisions are difficult.Hmmmm....You become a Christian by your lifestyle and actions,not by pretending to be a Christian and then go and betray the Ten Commandments!Read the full story here.

• HT:Spiegel.German Ports Unsure How to Deal with Contaminated Ships.In a matter of weeks, ships from Japan which may be carrying cargo contaminated by radiation will start arriving in Europe. But the authorities in ports such as Hamburg are unsure how they should deal with them.German port operators are nervously awaiting the expected arrival of ships from Japan which may be carrying cargo contaminated with radioactivity following the Fukushima nuclear crisis. Confusion reigns about what to do with the ships. The first such vessels are expected to arrive at German ports in mid-April, but may be turned back if they are deemed to be contaminated.Erik van der Noordaa, the head of Germanischer Lloyd, a technical supervisory organization which conducts safety surveys on more than 7,000 ships, told the Wednesday edition of the Financial Times Deutschland that he expects European ports will "send away" ships from Japan. "In Hamburg, they will not be happy if a contaminated ship enters," he said.But something must be done -- the ships are on their way. "This is going to be very complicated, and there is no solution yet," van der Noordaa said.Read and see the full story here.

• UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem.In message delivered by his assistant at Uruguay conference Ban Ki-moon says occupation is morally and politically unsustainable and must therefore end. 'A way must be found for Jerusalem to emerge as a capital of two States,' he adds. WASHINGTON – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon slammed Israel's policy and called for the division of Jerusalem on Tuesday. In a message delivered by his assistant at a UN regional meeting in Uruguay, Ban said: "The target date for completing the Palestinian Authority’s two-year State-building program is fast-approaching.""The occupation that started in 1967 is morally and politically unsustainable, and must end," he told the UN Latin American and Caribbean Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace. "The Palestinians have a legitimate right to the establishment of an independent and viable State of their own. Israel has the right to live in peace and security within internationally recognized and secure borders." The UN chief said that "a way must be found for Jerusalem to emerge as a capital of two States, Israel and Palestine, with arrangements for holy sites acceptable for all." He added that "there must be a just and agreed solution to the prolonged plight of the Palestinian refugees."Hmmmm......Obama and the UN going in foir 'the kill'?Read the full story here.

• Egypt's new FM wants ties with Iran.Long-term enmity between states may come to end as Nabil al-Arabi offers to 'turn over new leaf'. Egypt's new foreign minister, Nabil al-Arabi, said Tuesday that his country wants to promote ties with Tehran and that Cairo no longer sees Iran as its enemy. "Iran is a state in the region, and we have had long-term historical ties with it over the different periods," al-Arabi told a press conference. "We will turn over a new leaf with all states, including Iran." The foreign minister had no definitive answer to whether Egypt planned to open an embassy in Tehran, however. No love was lost between the deposed regime of Egypt's former president, Hosni Mubarak, and that of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who saw Mubarak as too closely connected with Western powers and Israel. Al-Arabi was also asked about Hezbollah, of which he said, "Hezbollah is part of Lebanon's composition, and we see this as an internal matter… If any party wishes to have ties with Egypt there will be nothing preventing us from talking, but we will not become involved in internal matters."Al-Arabi has also been known as a vocal critic of Israel. During his service as a judge in the International Court of Justice, he took part in a panel that debated the separation fence in the West Bank. Israel objected to his presence on the panel, claiming he was anti-Israel and not objective, but to no avail. He has also recommended that the Jewish state be tried for genocide.Hmmmm......Obama......Egypt......MuslimBrotherhood .....Iran.Obama............Turkey......Iran.Obama........Libya......Al-Qaida.Weird or what?Read the full story here.

• Speaker.Gov.Washington Dems’ ‘Marching Orders’? Root for a Government Shutdown.The Democrats who run Washington are desperate to distract from the fact that – while House Republicans have passed a funding bill for the remainder of the year that cuts spending – they have not passed a bill and not announced a credible plan.

As part of that distraction campaign, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was overheard giving ‘marching orders’ to other Democratic Senators to call the GOP ‘extreme’ shortly after former DNC Chairman Howard Dean said that Washington Democrats should be ‘quietly’ rooting for a government shutdown. Clearly, Sen. Schumer missed the “quietly” part.

The fact is that Republicans’ goal is to cut spending in order to create a better environment for job creation, not to shut down the government. The only folks talking about a shutdown are Democrats like Sen. Schumer, who believe they will benefit politically, as Dean explained: “From a partisan point of view, I think it would be the best thing in the world to have a shutdown.”When it comes to the government shutdown that Democrats are now actively rooting for, here are the facts :

GOP leaders have been abundantly clear: Our goal is to reduce spending, not shut down the government.

The House has passed H.R. 1 to fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year while also cutting spending by $61 billion; the Senate has failed to pass any bill and has yet to come up with a credible plan. As a result, there has been no coherent position from Democrats making negotiation difficult, if not impossible.

H.R. 1 included numerous policy provisions, a routine part of the appropriations process. President Obama has signed hundreds of them into law in the past and voted for hundreds of them when he was a senator. Likewise, Vice President Biden, Democratic leaders in the Senate, as well as Leader Pelosi & Whip Hoyer, have voted for thousands of appropriations policy riders during their careers in Congress. While Democrats can publicly “refuse” to consider adding any policy provisions to a final agreement, that is simply not a credible position given their past voting records.

Republicans have passed two short-term CRs to fund the government for short periods of time while also cutting $10 billion in spending, forcing Democrats to concede to real spending cuts.

Republicans have been honest and straightforward throughout this process. In the election, the American people made it clear that Congress must focus on cutting spending, and Republicans pledged to make significant spending cuts for the remainder of this fiscal year. The Democrats have continued to defend the status quo and refuse to listen to the American people.

We’re only in this mess because of the Democrats’ historic failure to pass, or even offer, a budget last year. The Democrats have completely abandoned all efforts to control spending in Washington. In contrast, Republicans are listening to the American people and fighting for their priorities: cutting spending and creating jobs.Read the full story here.

• Obama makes direct Libya pitch to columnists.President Obama's sales pitch, of sorts, for the war in Libya was a bit more personal for some of the country's most prominent columnists.The president made a surprising pit stop before his address to the nation on Libya Monday evening, meeting with a group of newspaper columnists during their briefing with Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough, sources confirmed.Attending the impromptu visit were the New York Times’ Thomas Friedman, Washington Post’s David Ignatius, Weekly Standard’s Bill Kristol and Doyle McManus of the L.A. Times.The reviews that followed were generally positive. Ignatius said Obama’s address offered “clarity” on the Libyan conflict and Kristol wrote that the president had “come a long way” in embracing the "American foreign policy mainstream."For the record, The Washington Examiner is still waiting for its face time with the president.Hmmmm....."The voice of their master"?Read the full story here.

• Ultraconservative Muslims press sharia dictates in Egypt.CAIRO | Members of an ultraconservative Muslim sect clashed with villagers south of Cairo over demands that a liquor store and coffee shops be closed, officials said Tuesday, a sign of the increasing assertiveness of the fundamentalist Salafi movement.One villager was killed and eight others were injured in the armed clashes, which erupted late Monday in the village of Kasr el-Bassil in Fayoum province, a security official said.The fighting broke out after Salafi followers ordered the owner to close the liquor store and coffee shops as they try to forcibly impose their strict interpretation of Islam by banning the drinking of alcohol.Salafis were tolerated as a religious group under ex-President Hosni Mubarak to counter Mr. Mubarak’s top foe, the Muslim Brotherhood.But Salafis have gained power as they rise to play a more political role as followers now ponder the nomination of a presidential candidate, following the 18-day uprising that led to the ouster of the former regime.That has alarmed many of the secular and liberal forces in Egypt because of the group’s extremist discourse and imposition of Islamic sharia law.Dozens of Salafis also staged a protest Tuesday in Cairo, accusing a church of abducting Camilla Shehata, a Coptic Christian priest’s wife who some believe converted to Islam and is being held against her will.Protesters held signs reading “peaceful, nonviolent” to defuse fresh rumors that the movement planned a massive rally on Tuesday aimed at supporting moves to force all Egyptian women to wear a veil and punish those who don’t adhere by burning their faces with acid.Despite the denials, one Coptic church in the southern province of Assuit evacuated some 340 female students from their university dormitories to hostels affiliated to the church and monasteries.Though Salafis in Egypt reject violence, their doctrine is only a few shades away from that of groups such as al Qaeda. Both adhere to a strict interpretation of Islam that supposedly is a purer form of Islam said to have been practiced by Islam’s Prophet Muhammad in the seventh century.Hmmm....The 'people'Obama pledged 1,57 Billion Dollars to in 2012!Read the full story here.

• HT:PajamasMedia.London Pride — Not!British gays need to understand that there’s no place for them in the sharia-run Britain to which millions of Muslims openly aspire.On Sunday, December 10, 1989, the direct-action group ACT-UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) mobilized several thousand people outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York to protest the Roman Catholic Church’s opposition to AIDS education and the distribution of condoms. Of these thousands of protesters, a few dozen entered the church during Mass, and one of them crumbled a consecrated communion wafer.ACT-UP’s incursion into St. Patrick’s became legendary, and in the minds of many Americans that one protestor’s act of desecration remained an indelible image, forever defining both gay and AIDS activism. Every gay person I knew was appalled by those protestors who’d entered the church and disrupted the service, not just because they were morally wrong, but also because their action could hardly have been more counterproductive. The Religious Right depicted gay people as enemies of religion; the disruptive actions by those members of ACT-UP only seemed to confirm that image. (In fact many of the people who acted most outrageously that day later turned out to have been devout gay Catholics motivated not by hatred of religion but — quite the opposite — by a frustration with Church officials’ views that was intense precisely because their love for the Church was so intense.)

Okay, cut from New York in 1989 to London in 2011. The stakes are higher — much higher. The mosques in Britain’s capital aren’t just refusing to hand out condoms or instruct gay believers in how to have safe sex. (Imagine!) No; they’re preaching to their ever-growing congregations in that increasingly Muslim city what Islam’s holy books teach about homosexuality — namely, that gays deserve to be executed. This has been going on for years, of course. The latest twist — and it will certainly not be the last — is that in February the East End, a neighborhood where many gays live but that is fast becoming a Muslim enclave, began being papered with stickers. They depicted a rainbow flag placed within a black circle and crossed out by a diagonal black line on which were printed the words “Gay free zone.” And they featured two quotations from the Koran. One of them read: “Arise and warn.” The other: “And fear Allah; verily Allah is severe in punishment.”Now, this could be dismissed as a nasty prank by some isolated, harmless jerk with too much time on his hands. But to do that would be dangerous. For the sentiments expressed on those stickers are widespread among Muslims in the East End, and indeed among Muslims throughout London, Britain, and Europe generally. It’s no coincidence that as the East End has become more Muslim, the number of gay-bashings has risen sharply and steadily.Hmmm.....Were they not among those persecuted by the Nazis as well? Read the full story here.

• HT:ElderOfZion.Pro-Israel artists create "Bomb Shelter" in NYC park.From yesterday's Homepage Daily : Don't be scared if you hear sirens in Washington Square Park today; there's no need to find shelter.

"The Bomb Shelter" is a "media installation" exhibit that will periodically sound sirens for 15 seconds. Those who choose to participate will have 15 seconds to get to a makeshift shelter. This demonstration is to raise awareness for the rocket attacks in Israel, where citizens only have 15 seconds to escape to safety — and it's not a drill.

Participants will also hear the sounds of explosions as they rush to make it to the shelter. This, the organizers say, will give people firsthand knowledge of what Israelis face.

Metro reports : A group of artists intentionally caused terror and confusion in Washington Square park yesterday — by simulating a terrorist attack.The group Artists for Israel, aided by Birthright Israel, set up a full-size Israeli bomb shelter in the middle of the park yesterday. They blasted sirens and simulated the boom of rockets hitting earth. Participants were given 15 seconds to run for shelter.“There were people running,” said Arief Hussain, 34, a hot dog vendor in the park. “I didn’t know what was going on.”But once the sirens started wailing, the NYPD and the Parks Department teamed up to shut down the event at 1:30, just half an hour after it began. “They didn’t have a permit,” said Detective James Alberici of the 6th Precinct.No permit? Well, what's art without a little anarchy?The exhibit will be traveling to college campuses.Hmmmmm......While the real thing will get more violent by the day!Read and see the full story here.

• HT:TheAmericanDream.Broke And Getting Broker: 22 Jaw Dropping Statistics About The Financial Condition Of American Families.Most American families are really struggling in this economy and they see most of the families around them really struggling, but they don't have any hard numbers to back up the feelings of economic despair that they are experiencing. Well, below you will find 22 statistics that prove that American families are broke and getting broker. Today, the financial condition of most middle class families is rapidly deteriorating. The number of good jobs is declining, incomes are down, debt loads are up and bankruptcies and foreclosures just continue to increase. If you step back and really examine the statistics, it becomes really hard to deny that American families are getting poorer. Well, the wealthiest 5 percent are still thriving, but everyone else is really having a tough time. The truth is that a large percentage of the U.S. middle class is slowly but surely going broke. Unfortunately, this is being caused by long-term economic trends that simply are not going to be fixed overnight.Most Americans had just assumed that the United States would always have a dominant, prosperous economy. But in the world we live in today there are no guarantees.The era when almost anyone could find a good job is over. Millions of good jobs have already left the United States, and vast numbers of legal and illegal workers have been shipped in to the country to compete for the jobs that are still here.There are millions of Americans that would give just about anything for a good job right about now. But the good jobs are very few and far between at this point.Every day there is more depressing news. For example, a recent job fair in Massachusetts was shut down because of a lack of jobs.In fact, with jobs so scarce these days, more Americans than ever are willing to work for free.This is not just a "recession" or an "economic downturn". The U.S. economy is fundamentally changing for the worse. Millions of American families are already experiencing economic despair and millions more will be experiencing it very soon.The following are 22 jaw dropping statistics about the financial condition of American families.Hmmmmm........"Change" from the man who 'prays'before going to bed.My bet it doesn't keep him awake!Read the full story here.

• Georgia: Black Lawmakers File Lawsuit Against State To Disband Five Cities For Being Too White.The Georgia Legislative Black Caucus filed a lawsuit Monday against the state of Georgia seeking to dissolve the city charters of Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Johns Creek, Milton and Chattahoochee Hills. Further, the lawmakers, joined by civil rights leader the Rev. Joseph Lowery, aim to dash any hopes of a Milton County.

The lawsuit, filed in a North Georgia U.S. District Court Monday, claims that the state circumvented the normal legislative process and set aside its own criteria when creating the “super-majority white” cities within Fulton and DeKalb counties. The result, it argues, is to dilute minority votes in those areas, violating the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution.“This suit is based on the idea that African Americans and other minorities can elect the people of their choice,” said Democratic State Sen. Vincent Fort.The Office of the Governor and the Office of the Attorney General declined comment pending further review of the case.Hmmmm......Somebody really starting to play the race card?Read the full story here.

• HT:Memri.Oman Army Arrests Protestors, Clears Roadblocks. Protestors Call On Caliph Obama U.S. To Intervene.In a pre-dawn sweep in the Omani city of Sohar, special security forces and army arrested a number of people and cleared blockades at all road junctions, including the Globe Roundabout, which had become a symbol of the protests in Oman. "Everything is normal and the army has taken charge of the city," Ali Al-Badi, a resident of the industrial port city, told Gulf News today. He added that security forces were in charge and that all blockades had been removed.Witnesses said that at around 3:00 am a convoy of army vehicles had swooped down on protesters camping at the roundabout and arrested most of them. "Those who tried to resist were dealt with using cane charges," said another witness, who lives near the Globe Roundabout.According to residents and several postings in the social media, special squad members raided some houses and arrested individuals who had attacked government offices and forced their closure.About a dozen Omani citizens staged demonstrations in front of the U.S. Embassy in Muscat, asking the U.S. government to intervene and stop the security crackdown.Hmmmm........Anybody seeing a trend emerge here?read the full story here.

• HT:CrossroadsArabia.Caught by Surprise?Arab News reports on the latest news concerning the Saudi municipal elections to be held in April. The story states that the number of municipal councils is being increased from 179 to 285, a nearly 60% increase. Concordantly, the number of polling stations will also be increase.But women will not be permitted to participate. ‘Participate’ is not more closely defined: does it mean that they can’t vote, can’t run as candidates, or both? I think we know the answer to that one.The excuse given is, “We are not ready for the participation of women….’ Dude. It’s been nearly six years since the last election, at which women were not permitted to vote either. What have you been doing in the meantime? It’s not as though the issue never came up. In fact, back then it was promised that women would take part in the next elections. So what happened, what new, complicating issues arose? Why aren’t you ready? Really, it’s time to pull the thumb out and at least pretend you’re catching up with the rest of the world. Yes, women’s participation in elections did take time to develop in the West. That doesn’t excuse the obstructions that are happening now in the Kingdom. You’ve nearly a hundred years’ of other people’s experience in women’s suffrage, and close to 50 years’ of that includes both Arab and Muslim societies. What’s the problem here, if it’s not abject fear of women?But it’s again promised that women will be allowed to participate in the next elections. With the exact promise so clearly broken, why should it be trusted this time around? And also again, how about refining that definition of ‘participate’? RIYADH : Saudi Arabia announced Monday that it was not yet ready for women participating in next month’s municipal elections as voters or candidates. “We are not ready for the participation of women in these municipal elections,” Election Commissioner Abdul Rahman Al-Dahmash said.Speaking to reporters in Riyadh, Al-Dahmash, however, promised that women would be allowed to participate in the next elections.He cited a number of procedural reasons for the ban on women voting. “Participation of women in elections took place in most advance countries gradually,” he pointed out.He said the municipal elections would take place on April 23 all over the Kingdom at the same time. A person is allowed to vote only once in favor of a candidate in his constituency, he said.Hmmmm.......Welcome to A.D. 620?Read the full story here.

• HT:Memri.Fifth Issue of English-Language Jihadist Magazine Inspire Released.On March 29, 2011, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's (AQAP) media wing Al-Malahem released the fifth issue of the English-language jihadist magazine "Inspire." The cover article of this issue is titled "The Tsunami of Change." Reports about the contents of this issue will be published by MEMRI over the coming day.hmmmm........"Change" where have we heard that before?Source .

• The Fogel family massacre.Awarta residents DNA tested in Itamar case.NABLUS (Ma'an) -- The deputy mayor of Awarta and two of his brothers were detained along with dozens of others Tuesday morning by Israeli forces. Officials say the detained men are being given DNA tests and questioned by soldiers. The detentions come as the investigation into the murders of five Israeli settlers - including two children and an infant - enters its third week. More than 40 had been detained from the village in the first week of the investigation, and foreign workers in the settlement were said to have been questioned. Awarta, the closest Palestinian village to the illegal Israeli settlement of Itamar, where the murders occurred, has been the center of the investigation. It was placed under military curfew twice, the first time for five days. While a third curfew was not imposed overnight, Israeli troops forcibly entered homes, detaining an unknown number of residents estimated to be in the dozens. Forty had already been detained during earlier arrest raids, including a Voice of Palestine radio journalist.Awarta Mayor Qays Awwad told Ma'an on Tuesday morning that the men and boys who had been detained during the first round of arrests in the village were taken to the Israeli military base at Huwwara, where they were subjected to DNA testing and fingerprinted. "They took samples for DNA tests, and were fingerprinted before being interrogated. Some were released but more are being kept in custody," the mayor said, adding that his deputy mayor Hasan Awwad and two of his brothers were among those rounded up overnight. Read the full story here.

• HT:Memri.Article on Muslim Brotherhood Website Advocates Transportation for Women Only.In an article on the official website of the Muslim Brotherhood, Iman Isma'il called for to establish separate transportation for women in Egypt. Isma'il said she planned to propose her initiative to bus drivers, and then bring it before the Egyptian government as an official campaign.

"'Vehicles of all kinds, of a special and distinct color, with a sign that says "For Women Only," in which no man will touch us. We will not [have to] shout ourselves hoarse trying to get them to clear the way so that we can board or alight. We will not [have to] fight with anyone refusing to clear the way. Reasonably priced [transportation ensuring us] complete respect.' "The above is not an imaginary scenario or the dream of someone who has lost her mind, but the hope of many of the girls in Egypt, who suffer more and more [when using public] transportation in the country. The realization [of these hopes] has become something simple and attainable since the January 25 Revolution.

"Until the idea of such a campaign spreads throughout the country, here are some suggestions for you [women], so that you need not sacrifice your modesty if forced to use mixed transportation:

1. "If you are forced to sit in the rear seats, put your bag on the seat beside you until [another] girl boards. Then smile at her and clear the seat beside you for her. Obviously, she will come and sit next to you.
2. "If you cannot avoid having a man sit next to you, place some divider between you – your bag, a book, a wallet, or any other separation. The man might wonder at the divider you placed between the two of you and express amazement or ridicule, but ignore all this. Do not be embarrassed and do not try to remove the divider or justify your position. If matters reach a point where he asks you to remove it, tell him, with all due respect, 'I am sorry, but this is the maximum [I am willing to allow].'
3. "During the ride in the vehicle, keep yourself occupied with anything that will distract you from those around you – reading the Koran or a book, asking forgiveness [from Allah], contemplating or thinking deeply, [and so on].
4. "If you want to get off at your stop, do not relinquish your right to alight with modesty. [Insist] that anyone in your way get off [first] so that you can pass without touching a man...
5. "Keep from sitting between two men, no matter who they are, because this might put you in a very embarrassing situation in which you will be unable to take any measures of security... Otherwise, ask them to sit next to each other and sit in the third seat.
6. "If you must ride a minibus or a public bus, which I do not at all recommend, except in very few circumstances, [you must]:

a) "Try to schedule [your trip] for a holiday, when [public transportation] vehicles are empty, or during off hours, such as early in the morning.

b) "Board at the first stops, so that you will have room to sit, and get off at the last stop, without rubbing against any men in the aisles.

c) "[If you have nowhere to sit,] get off in the middle of [the bus line], but insist that all the men standing in your way get off [first]. In many cases, you will face resistance, but insist that they get off. Tell them you do not have enough room to pass between them, that they must get off quickly, and that it is only a matter of a few moments. Allah willing, you will find someone honorable among them who will tell those around him to get off and make way for you.

d) "If your salary enables you [to buy two tickets], try to sit by the driver and take up both [front] seats for yourself. What a relief it will be not to rub against any men. Give yourself a rest from all the suffering you have experienced [in the past] by keeping the proper distance from any man.

7. "You must first and foremost pray to Allah to protect you and guard you... As long you take all [necessary] measures, pray to Allah, and rely on Him, it is impossible that Allah should bring shame upon you...

"Finally, know that guarding your modesty is a very important thing, so never take it lightly, no matter what."Hmmmm.......On the other hand you could start a women only cab company?Read the full story here.

• Philly Parents Patrol Corner Stores to Stop Students From Eating Junk Food.The streets of north Philadelphia are no longer safe for kids sipping sugary soft drinks and shoveling bags of potato chips and chocolate bars into their mouths, thanks to a new special victims unit on patrol for bad munchies.With all the drama of reality TV, this team is stationed just outside food shops in close proximity to schools, ready to pounce on kids purchasing calorie-laden snacks. They are parents who consider themselves foot soldiers in the national battle over the diets of children, The New York Times reports.Donning bright-colored safety vests and armed with walkie-talkies, this is hardly an undercover operation.Just ask first grader Tatyana Gray, who recently was busted after stopping at the Oxford Food Shop en route to elementary school for her daily dose of chips and a sweet drink.Hmmmm.......Welcome to the Food policestate?Read the full story here.