MIDDLE EAST October 15, 2018 7 Saudi... New Syrian Law Bans Muslim Clerics (Continued From Page One) 182 of its 186 listed stocks showing losses by early afternoon. The market pulled back some of the losses, later trading down 4%. From Stoking Sectarian Rift Business leaders as well as media companies including Bloom- berg and CNN have pulled out of an investment conference next DAMASCUS (Press TV) – Syria Additionally, the law assigns week in Riyadh, dubbed “Davos in the desert”. has endorsed a legislation that for- the Awqaf minister to oversee re- bids Muslim preachers from “stok- ligious schools, head the Coun- There is no sign of contrition in the statement or clarification ing sectarian strife” as the Arab cil on Islamic Jurisprudence, and of the promise last week to conduct an inquiry into Khashoggi’s country’s fight against foreign- regulate religious programming disappearance. Instead, Riyadh condemns a “campaign of false sponsored Takfiri terrorist groups on media outlets. allegations and falsehoods”. In what is likely to be a reference to is drawing to a close. It further bans Muslim imams Turkey, and possibly its Persian Gulf rival Qatar, it claims some President Bashar al-Assad signed from traveling abroad or attend- into law the new bill expanding the ing conferences even inside Syria are “rushing and seeking to exploit rumors and accusations to powers of the Ministry of Awqaf without the Awqaf minister’s per- achieve goals and agendas unrelated to the search for truth”. (Religious Endowments), which mission. Saudi Arabia’s vast oil reserves, said to be around 260bn bar- oversees Islamic affairs in Syria. Syria’s Awqaf Minister Mo- rels, give it clout in the global economy. The kingdom is the The legislation prohibits Muslim hammad Abdul-Sattar al-Sayyed clerics from “taking advantage of hailed the new rule as a “huge world’s largest oil exporter, pumping or shipping more than 7m religious platforms for political achievement.” barrels a day. This gives it significant power to drive up prices, purposes,” but non-Muslim com- “This is the first time there’s a which would hurt every major developed economy. munities are not affected by the law that issues controls and stan- The handout picture released by Syria’s official SANA news agency on It also supports thousands of U.S. jobs via its massive program law. dards for religious work and con- August 21, 2018 shows President Bashar al-Assad (2nd L) and Grand Mufti of arms purchases. Saudi is the world’s second largest arms im- Under the new measure, the ditions for appointing imams and Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun (2nd R) at a mosque in the capital, Damascus. Syrian Awqaf minister is tasked preachers,” he said. porter after India and 61% of those imports come from the U.S. with appointing the Grand Mufti, The new legislation is meant to Syria. Riyadh is widely believed to be President Trump signed a $110bn military agreement in Riyadh whose term is renewable every regulate religious discourse in a The concept is largely influenced a key sponsor of the Takfiri ter- last year, a deal that stands to benefit U.S. employers such as three years. Previously, he was bid to confront Takfiri extrem- by Wahhabism, the radical ideol- rorists, who have been operating Lockheed Martin, Boeing, General Electric and Exxon Mobil. named by the president for an un- ism, which is a trademark of many ogy dominating Saudi Arabia and to topple the Syrian government Turki Aldhakhil, the general manager of Al Arabiya, the of- limited term. terror outfits wreaking havoc in freely preached by Saudi clerics. since 2011. ficial Saudi news channel, in an opinion piece claimed Saudi was ready to implement 30 measures “without flinching” the Zionist Regime Approves Construction of New Settler Units moment U.S. sanctions were imposed, including cuts to oil pro- of al-Quds. About 600,000 Zionists live in duction that could lead to prices jumping to $100 a barrel or Zionist regime officials report- over 230 illegal settlements built even $200. “The truth is that if Washington imposes sanctions edly approved plans for the con- since the 1967 occupation of the on Riyadh, it will stab its own economy to death, even though it struction of 14,864 new settler Palestinian territories of the West thinks that it is stabbing only Riyadh,” he wrote. units in the occupied West Bank Bank and East al-Quds. Ramping up the rhetoric even more, Aldhakhil warned the re- two weeks ago irrespective of Palestinians want the West international outcry against the Bank as part of a future indepen- percussions of U.S. sanctions could include a military alliance regime’s land expropriation and dent Palestinian state with East between Saudi Arabia and Russia and an end to intelligence settlement expansion policies in al-Quds as its capital. sharing. the Palestinian territories. The last round of Zionist-Pal- On Sunday, it was reported that Trump’s eldest son, Donald Mayor of the Gush Etzion Re- estinian talks collapsed in 2014. gional Council, Shlomo Ne’eman, Among the major sticking points Trump Jr., had retweeted posts portraying Khashoggi as a ter- said that the construction of the in those negotiations was Israel’s rorism sympathizer amid mounting criticism of Washington’s new units will triple the number continued settlement expansion inaction on the fate of the missing Saudi dissident. of settler population in the area, on Palestinian territories. The disappearance of Khashoggi has put the spotlight on the which lies directly south of Jeru- Trump backtracked on Wash- close relationship which Trump’s family has nurtured with the A picture taken on July 24, 2018 shows a view of ongoing construction work at salem al-Quds and Bethlehem in ington’s support for a “two-state Ramat Shlomo, a settlement in the mainly Palestinian eastern sector of al-Quds. the central West Bank. solution” earlier this year, saying Saudi kingdom. WEST BANK (Dispatches) – hood instead of a military base. He added that the project in- he would support any solution fa- With pressure mounting on Trump to take action over the sus- The Zionist regime has approved We will build 31 apartments, cludes 1,100 settler units in Rosh vored by both sides. pected murder, he said Saturday that the United States would the construction of a residential two kindergartens and a nursery Tzurim settlement, located about “Looking at two-state or one- be “punishing itself” if it halted weapons sales to Saudi Arabia. quarter for illegal settlers in the instead of barracks for soldiers,” 20 kilometers south of al-Quds, state, I like the one that both par- He brazenly said Thursday that he was not willing to throw city of al-Khalil, West Bank, Zion- Lieberman said in a statement. 600 units in Migdal Oz settle- ties like. I’m very happy with ist war minister Avigdor Lieber- According to media reports, the ment, some 1,107 in Gevaot set- the one both parties like. I can away billions of dollars in military deals with Saudi Arabia. man said on Sunday. construction of new housing units tlement, and 1,200 units between live with either one,” the U.S. “The new Jewish quarter in He- will require over $6 million of Bat Ayin and Migdal Oz settle- president said during a joint press bron (al-Khalil) will be construct- government funding. ments. conference with Israeli Prime ed for the first time in 20 years. Al-Khalil is a city located in the The project is estimated to cost Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in We will build a new neighbor- West Bank about 18 miles south 18.9 million shekels ($5,195,610). Washington on February 15. Trump... (Continued From Page One)

Taliban Confirm Talks With U.S. Special Envoy “I have a great cabinet. I have some people I’m not happy with. KABUL (Dispatches) – The Taliban have confirmed that their leaders had held talks with leaders and politicians within and outside the government. I have some people I’m not thrilled with. And I have other people held talks with the U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, in At the same time, a bomb attack at an election rally in northeastern Afghan- I’m beyond thrilled with,” he said. Qatar’s capital Doha on Friday, said a statement of the armed group posted on istan claimed the lives of over a dozen people and left above 30 wounded. Trump spoke personally with Sessions’ chief of staff Matthew its website on Sunday. Officials have put the number of fatalities at 13 but medics say the toll The Taliban delegation, according to the statement includes chief of politi- could rise even higher. Whitaker about replacing the attorney general in late September, cal office in Doha Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, deputy head Maw- They said the explosion occurred when a motorbike - laden with explo- according to a West Wing aide. lawi Abdul Salam Hanafi, office members Shahabuddin Delawar, Qari sives - went off near the gathering of supporters of a female election candi- Sessions’ unsteady future has been the subject of news stories Deen Mohammad Hanif, Mohammad Zahid Ahmadzi and Mohammad date in the northeastern province of Takhar. Among the victims were both and chatter for months. Unfounded rumors two weeks ago about Suhil Shaheen. civilians and security forces. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein’s departure fed discus- Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Majahid who posted the statement on the A senior member of the Taliban said Khalilzad had asked the Taliban lead- armed group’s website, asserted that the representatives the ousted Taliban ership, based in the Qatari capital Doha, to declare a ceasefire in Afghani- sions of a wholesale shakeup at the top of the DOJ. regime in the meeting “described the presence of foreign forces in Afghani- stan during upcoming parliamentary polls. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has been mentioned as a stan as the main obstacle in achieving peace” and demanded the withdrawal “Both sides discuss prospects of peace and the U.S presence in Afghani- possible replacement for both Mattis and Sessions. A favorite golf- of foreign forces from the country. stan,” said another Taliban official, requesting anonymity. ing buddy of the president’s, he got Trump’s gratitude for his im- “Keeping that in mind, efforts must be made towards a true and intra- In exchange, the Taliban wants the Afghan government to release its mili- Afghan solution. At the end both sides agreed to continue holding meetings tants from jails across the country and the swift removal of foreign forces passioned defense of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh dur- in the future,” the statement added. fighting alongside Afghan soldiers. ing his confirmation process. The Afghan-born U.S. diplomat Khalilzad after touring Pakistan, Saudi Political analysts in Kabul said both sides will have to make concessions Graham said last week he has “zero interest” in accepting a presi- Arabia, Qatar and meeting Taliban leaders visited Kabul on Saturday and for the talks to succeed. dential cabinet nomination. In March, NPR reported that in his 14 months on the job, Trump has had more Cabinet turnover than 16 of his predecessors had in Egypt Court Upholds Death Sentences for 3 Suspected Militants their first two years. CAIRO (Dispatches) – An Egyptian court sued in August. The decision can be appealed hood. Already gone: Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price; on Sunday upheld death sentences for three within 60 days. Authorities say a crackdown on dissent and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, who became chief of people for establishing and running a militant Four people were sentenced to life in prison freedoms is directed at terrorists and sabo- staff; Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Veterans Affairs Secretary group known as the so-called Ansar al-Sharia, while seven received 15-year prison terms, teurs trying to undermine the state. David Shulkin; and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. two judicial sources and state news agency the sources said. Nine of the 23 defendants Death sentences have been handed down Despite the chess game moves and the recent publication of a MENA said. were acquitted. to hundreds of militants, including Muslim The charges included killing at least 10 po- Egypt has cracked down on suspected mili- Brotherhood supporters and members. New York Times’ op-ed from a “senior official in the Trump ad- lice officers and attempting to kill more in tants since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi led Last month, 75 were sentenced to death ministration” about a deep state working against the president, a series of attacks between August 2013 and the overthrow of former president Mohamed over a 2013 sit-in which ended with security Trump denied his White House is in chaos. May 2014. The court upheld sentences is- Mursi of the now banned Muslim Brother- forces killing hundreds of protesters. “It’s wrong. It’s so false. It’s fake news,’ he told ‘60 Minutes.”