Tom DinDinhamham Michael Young EEditorialditorial Interview with Jumblatt Archbishop and the fatete Yohanna Mouche of the Druze P3 P4 BountiesBo nti of Ramadan P6

Issue 10, Year 1 www.thearabweekly.com UK £2/ EU €2.50 June 19, 2015 Ethnic and sectarian cleansing in Syria Tal Abyad is a blow to ISIS but Riad Kahwaji P2P could augur partition of Syria Europe should Engage Arab issues Khalil Hamlo Daniel Kawczynski, MP PP6 Damascus

he black banner of the Islamic State (ISIS) was How Mossad passed brought down, replaced T by the colourful flags of on killing Khomeini the Kurdish People’s Pro- Gareth Smyth P13P tection Units (YPG) who had forced the Islamist fighters from the town of Tal Abyad on Syria’s border with Turkey. The capture of Tal Abyad effec- The challenges of tively enables the Kurds to link the Turkey’s Kurds Kurdish province of Al-Hasakah with Afreen and Kobani in rural Mona Alami P10P Aleppo, paving the way for the es- tablishment of their dream state, West Kurdistan. Reports from the area said more Saudi women’s than 100,000 people fled from the fighting. That includes some 30,000 first elections who crossed into Turkey amid alle- Robert L. Wagner P5P gations of persecution of Arabs and Turkmen by Kurdish fighters. The YPG and other Syrian rebel groups, backed by US-led coalition The woes air raids, advanced into Tel Abyad without any real resistance. ISIS lost of Iraqi society key strongholds, including its main A Syrian refugee carries a child over the broken border fence into Turkey supply route used to channel arms Dalia al al-Aqidi-Aqidi P3P and fightersfifigh from Turkey, over sev- Sunni rebels, Kurds and the interna- pressed fears that recent develop- en ddaysaya s of battles. tional coalition is sowing the seeds ments could signal the beginning of An anti-ISISan fighter, going by the “We did not of its demise,” he said. Syria’s partitioning from the north. nom ddee guerre Abu Ibrahim, told conduct any real Allegations of persecution of Ar- Tal Abyad’s fall to the YPG raised The ArabAra Weekly he was “totally battles. The fighting abs and Turkmen circulated with the deep concerns in Turkey over the shocshocked”ked by ISIS’s quick defeat in Syrian regime accusing the Kurds of Kurds’ separatist ambitions. Turk- Tal Abyad.Aby “I had fought against was mostly artifice.” seeking to secede and establish their ish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ISIS in Kobani and Raqqa in 2014. own entity in the northern part of said Kurds were taking over areas It waswas not the same ISIS that I had the country with US help. from which Arabs and Turkmen confrontedconfn ro in the past,” he said. Brigade, Jamal Maarouf’s Syria Re- “The Kurdish scheme aimed at were being displaced. “It doesn’t “We“WeW did not conduct any real bels Front and Deir ez-Zor Revolu- consecrating Syria’s partitioning is a matter who comes; the regime, battles.battles The fighting was mostly tionary Council. Huseyin Kocher, a US-inspired conspiracy,” said Khalaf Daesh, the PYD [Democratic Union artifice,artifice, as they (ISIS) were retreat- Kurdish YPG commander, told the Moftah, a leading member of Syria’s Party], they are all persecuting civil- inging withoutw resistance. No one BBC, “Our people should know that ruling Ba’ath Party in Raqqa, in com- ians,” said Turkish Foreign Minister wasw killed in their ranks. I am we are going to clean all the rem- ments to The Arab Weekly. “The Mevlut Cavusoglu. convincedc there was a deal.” nants of ISIS in northern Syria.” Kurdish forces who want to create AbuA Ibrahim is a member of According to Oubai Shahbandar, a an ethnic state are driving Arabs out Khalil Hamlo is an Arab Weekly thethe WesternW Wes Front, which groups, in former US Defense Department ana- of the area where their ancestors contributorcoontributoor in DDamascus.ama ascus.s addition to the YPG, the Arab rebel lyst, ISIS might have overplayed its had lived for centuries.” factions of Raqqa Revolutionaries hand. “ISIS’s three-front war against Beyond Syria, also, some ex- P2 Economy, terror threat dampen Ramadan spirits in Egypt

Amr Emam announcement to draw backlash combat forces and bomb-disposal prepare for Ramadan, a time when and glittering ornaments. This year, from the Muslim Brotherhood, the experts to protect state institutions. they traditionally stock up on food however, the lights of the lanterns movement from which Morsi hails A militant group rumoured to be and drink. seem to be dim and the ornaments Cairo and that has been accused by au- behind the June 10th Luxor attack, Egypt’s urban consumer infla- less glittering. thorities of being behind nation- in which assailants tried to smuggle tion rose 13.5% in May, after being “My fear is that more and more he fear of terror attacks wide violence the past two years. a bomb into tourist areas, vowed recorded at 11% in April, according people will be killed in terrorist at- and the struggles of the Soon after the court announce- more assaults during Ramadan. to the state-run Central Agency for tacks in this month,” Sayed said. economy in Egypt are ment, the Egyptian Interior Minis- These security challenges are tak- Public Mobilisation and Statistics. “Let’s pray that nobody will die.” T darkening the buoyant try raised its terror alert level to the ing a toll on the economy, a down- The rate was 11.8% in March. mood that traditionally highest status, deploying special turn especially felt while Egyptians Abdel-Aziz al-Sayed, the head greets the holy fasting month of of the Poultry Section at Egypt’s The economic Ramadan. Chamber of Commerce, said on A few days before Ramadan was June 16th that poultry prices in the downturn is set to begin, security personnel local market rose 30% due to in- especially felt foiled a major terrorist attack in creased demand. the southern province of Luxor, The faltering economy and the as Egyptians one that could have dealt severe threat of terrorist attacks seem to be prepare for damage to Egypt’s tourist industry, leaving a bitter taste in the mouths Ramadan which has been trying to recuper- of Egyptians. ate from the turmoil since the 2011 “Commodity prices are very popular uprising. high, which at the end gives people Egypt’s political rifts also linger. Nevertheless, on June 16th a a hard time,” Azza Mohamed, a civil Parties are unable to agree on a uni- criminal court in Cairo upheld servant in her early 50s, said. fied list of candidates before par- death sentences given several Mus- Equally unexcited this year about liamentary elections, which were lim Brotherhood leaders, includ- the advent of the holy month is supposed to have taken place in the ing ousted president Muhammad Shady Sayed, an unemployed spring but a date for which has not Morsi. They had been found guilty makeup artist in his 30s. been set, in the authorities’ bid to of spying for the Palestinian group Usually, Sayed and neighbours keep Islamists at bay. Hamas and breaking out of jail in in the poor southern Cairo Sayeda 2011. Aisha district would mark Rama- Amr Emam is an Arab Weekly The government expects that Lantern seller in Cairo dan by lining streets with lanterns contributor in Cairo. 2 June 19, 2015 News & Analysis Syria

Why the liberation of Tal Abyad is a major blow to ISIS

Oubai Shahbandar lenge to its exposed flank in north- takia, Aleppo and Deir ez-Zor well ern and eastern Syria. before the United States and Arab ISIS miscalculated badly when allies launched the air campaign. Dubai in early June it launched a surprise ISIS has had to cede large swaths blitz against Sunni rebel forces in of territory it once controlled. SIS’s hubris will prove its the Aleppo countryside. The re- The Sunni rebel factions that downfall. The recent libera- bels successfully countered and comprise the Euphrates Volcano tion of the northern Syrian stabilised the north-eastern front- coalition played an important ena- I town of Tal Abyad by a com- line against ISIS despite the glar- bling role in the liberation of Tal bined force of Syrian Arab ing paucity of coalition air strikes Abyad. YPG media outlets hailed rebels and Kurdish self-defence against ISIS units in that area. Tal Abyad as a Kurdish success forces (YPG) is a major operational but the reality is Sunni Arab rebel loss for the Islamic State (ISIS). The international units played a major role. Tal Abyad was a strategic hub coalition must Kurdish-Arab unity will play an and a main line of communication important factor if gains against and supply for ISIS. Its loss signals reprioritise Syria ISIS are to be sustained over time that it can no longer take for grant- in northern Syria. ed the security of its core head- ISIS has vowed that it will re- Kurdish factions also must con- quarters in the city of Raqqa. ISIS turn to areas in northern Syria that tend with the reality that civilians will now be forced to employ in- Sunni rebels successfully liberated in Tal Abyad will continue to heav- creasingly stretched resources to — first from the Assad regime, then ily depend upon border crossings defend its proclaimed home front from ISIS — in early 2014. with Turkey. in eastern Syria as a reinvigorated Rather than fighting to the Attempts by Kurdish separa- Arab-Kurdish offensive gathers death, ISIS opted to hurriedly tist factions to leverage the fight of Kurdish and Arab forces in the may offer a stinging body blow but momentum. withdraw the bulk of its heavy against ISIS to establish Kurdish KRG by Arab allies and perhaps it will be Sunni rebel forces that weaponry and foreign fighters “facts on the ground” on Arab ter- Turkish special forces is one po- will ultimately end ISIS. Arm the Sunni from Tal Abyad to Raqqa city. ritory in northern Syria will only tential option. Washington continues to pro- rebels, provide close Its remaining positions in Alep- backfire in the long term and prove The irrelevance of Assad’s forces fess an “Iraq first” strategy and air support and po province, in the cities of Jara- counterproductive. in the fight against ISIS is mirrored remains reticent to highlight its blus and Menbej, could face dual by the myopic sectarian vision of efforts in support of Syrian rebels. foster cooperative fronts from the east and west. ISIS ISIS is steadily the administration in Baghdad. But the Americans and regional Arab-Kurdish is steadily finding itself cornered finding itself New, disruptive solutions are re- Arab states may have stumbled partnership in Syria. Until now, the public quired if ISIS is to be truly defeat- upon a formula for success in de- discussion has centred on how to cornered in Syria ed. feating ISIS: arm the Sunni rebels, Assad regime militias in Palmyra contain ISIS but its defeat seems The international coalition must provide close air support and fos- offered sparse resistance to ISIS, as more and more a possibility. Looking forward, Arab states in reprioritise Syria. ter cooperative Arab-Kurdish part- did a broken Iraqi army in Ramadi The victory in Tal Abyad was partnership with Turkey should ISIS cannot sustain its forces in nership. and Mosul. But the ISIS three-front made possible by losses ISIS sus- build stronger ties with Kurdis- Iraq if it cannot secure its base in Anything short of that will war against Sunni rebels, Kurds tained at the hands of Sunni rebel tan Regional Government (KRG) Syria. simply allow ISIS to recover and and the international coalition is forces such as Division 13, Raqqa President Masoud Barzani — a so- The coalition must move faster bounce back. sowing the seeds of its demise. Revolutionaries Brigade, the Army ber statesman who understands in establishing a joint operations For the first time since the start of Conquest and Fursan al-Haqq. the importance of working along- centre that offers dedicated close Oubai Shahbandar is a former US of the US-led coalition air cam- ISIS faced stiff and brave resist- side local Arabs against common air support to Sunni Arab rebels Defense Department analyst. He paign, ISIS is facing a major chal- ance by Sunni rebels in Idlib, La- foes. Joint training and equipping in northern Syria. Kurdish fighters is a private strategic consultant. Ethnic and sectarian cleansing further divides Syria

Viewpoint Dubai Bekaa valley, the regime and its control of Damascus. Rebels are According to Syrian sources, allies are targeting Damascus and making significant advances from Syria is Iran and Hezbollah wish to see the he Assad regime and its northern, western and south- the south towards the capital and Syrian regime concentrate more its allies appear to be western suburbs. could link up with rebel strong- expected on protecting the vital areas of the taking steps towards Hezbollah launched a major of- holds around the city before the to be divided Alawite canton rather than con- the inevitable collapse fensive to uproot rebels from the end of the year. into four or tinue to waste time on lost battles, T that will subsequently Qalamoun area along the Lebanese The Syrian regime and its allies five parts such as in Aleppo. lead to the de facto north-eastern border with Syria. are expected to draw their defen- After losing Idlib and Palmyra, breakup of Syria along ethnic and Almost all of the Sunni inhabitants sive lines to include the western there are rising concerns that the sectarian lines. Their moves seem of the villages of Qalamoun and side of Damascus along with the regime’s forces in Aleppo could Riad Kahwaji to be aimed at carving out a nearby Qusair have been ousted, Qalamoun area and south of Homs find themselves cut off soon, de- canton for Alawites and along the and there are reports of Shia and and Hama’s western countryside priving the regime of much-needed way cleanse areas of the Muslim Alawite communities settling in. and down to Latakia. manpower and military assets. Sunni majority of the country. The heavy bombardment of As for other minorities, such as The Iranian Revolutionary The Alawites’ stronghold is in towns and cities near the capital the Christians of Syria, they are Guards Corps are working with Syria’s western coastal provinces forced most of their Sunni resi- welcomed in the Alawite areas of Hezbollah on creating an army of Latakia and Tartus. However, both dents to flee with small prospect of control and those seeking to sell 50,000 Shia militiamen from Iraq, require geographic depth and a returning home anytime soon. their properties are finding Shia Yemen, Afghanistan and Pakistan link with their allies in Lebanon, Alawite residents of Damascus and Alawite buyers. to help exhausted Syrian regime the Shia group Hezbollah. and surrounding areas have report- The famous Damascene Chris- forces hold back the rebels and Hence, the Syrian regime and edly moved to the coastal area, and tian neighbourhoods of Bab Sharqi solidify defences of the Alawite its Iranian-backed Shia allies and many of them are believed to be and Bab Touma are now mostly canton. Hezbollah are concentrating opera- settled in homes that belonged to owned by Shias and Alawites after Syria is expected to be divided tions in Homs and Hama to use Sunnis who fled. their original owners opted to sell into four or five parts, with each parts of the two large Sunni prov- The next big battle will be for the and emigrate. controlled by an ethnic or sectarian inces as strategic staging ground force: the Alawite, the Sunni ex- for a future Alawite state. tremists of the Islamic State (ISIS), Human rights groups have re- the Kurds, the moderate Sunnis of ported systematic ethnic cleansing the Free Syrian Army, and possibly of Sunni communities from parts a fifth one for the Druze of Sweida of the city of Homs and western province. sectors of Hama and Homs prov- The de facto division of Syria inces. will go on so long as the interna- The Syrian regime reportedly tional community is unable to burned the land department ar- bring about a solution to the civil chives in Homs so residents would war that is agitated by the regional not have proof of ownership of the cold war between Iran and Saudi land on which their houses once Arabia. stood before they were razed by With millions of refugees and bombings or regime bulldozers. displaced people, the tragedy and To ensure linkup with Hezbol- killing in Syria will likely continue lah’s stronghold in Lebanon’s for years before the situation starts to improve. Meanwhile, ethnic and sectarian cleansing will go on to be merely a phase of the ugly war in Syria The Syrian regime awaiting an end one day, hopefully reportedly burned the soon.

land department archives Riad Kahwaji is founder and chief in Homs executive officer of the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis (INEGMA) based in Dubai Syrian Druze demonstrating and Beirut. June 19, 2015 3 News & Analysis Iraq

Interview A year after the fall of Mosul, Iraq’s Christians face an uncertain future

Tom Dinham ISIS responded harshly: “They took Christians and robbed them. They even took medicine and milk London from children. They would take the milk at checkpoints and throw it on ublic buildings in Mosul the floor, saying ‘make the bishop have been spruced up and give you more,’ ” he said. banners unfurled to cel- The Christians of Mosul then P ebrate the anniversary of were expelled without any material the fall of Iraq’s second possessions. At checkpoints leaving largest city to the Islamic State (ISIS) the city, those with cars had them group. confiscated and were made to walk. It is an event Archbishop Yohan- For Mouche and his Syriac Catho- na Mouche, responsible for what lic practitioners, the catastrophe remains of Northern Iraq’s Syriac was just beginning, but at least Catholics, remembers well. While those in Mosul had managed to ISIS zealots view the conquest as leave alive. “They harmed the Shia presaging the foundation of a glo- Shabab.” the archbishop said. “They rious caliphate, Mouche sees in it killed them and forced the rest to the destruction of one of the oldest join ISIS.” Christian communities. ISIS advanced on Qaraqosh, “In the first days, ISIS did not do home to approximately 50,000 anything to the Christians. Quite the Syriac Christians. Without warn- opposite, they would invite us to ing, it shelled the town, using the stay and live together. After a while presence of Kurdish peshmerga in they announced this arrangement the area as an excuse. Mouche met had conditions,” Mouche recalled. with an ISIS leader and offered to “We were scattered across more has been forthcoming from the in- the Nineveh plain seemingly a dis- negotiate a withdrawal of pesh- than 57 areas in Kurdistan. The rest, ternational community. If his Syriac tant prospect, Mouche is pessimis- If you want us to stay merga forces. “He said, ‘No. I want about a third, have fled to Jordan, Catholic parishioners cannot be re- tic about the prospects of his com- in Iraq, then liberate you [Christians] to kick the Kurds Lebanon, Turkey and even Europe,” turned to their homes, Mouche said munity. out of the area.’ I replied that these reports Mouche. he hopes that they might be allowed “If you want us to stay in Iraq, our areas and allow words prove you are not fighting He unequivocally blames the to migrate as a community to the then liberate our areas and allow us to live in dignity the Kurds, you are fighting us Chris- United States for the situation in West. us to live in dignity under interna- tians,” Mouche said. Iraq. tional protection in an area with a The conditions were stark and ISIS shelled the town intensively “All of our problems come from ISIS even took constitution that guarantees our non-negotiable: Convert to Islam on August 6, 2014. Mouche ordered America,” he said. “A while back medicine and milk rights,” he said. and live as an equal citizen or re- the town evacuated, but not every- America got rid of Saddam Hussein from children As much as his community has main Christian and pay the jizya, one got out in time. in one week. They created a secu- suffered, the prospect of migration essentially protection money that “I am very concerned about a rity vacuum, destroyed the military, is heartbreaking for the archbishop. rendered Christians second-class 3-year-old girl who was forcibly and this has been exploited by un- In a meeting with US officials to “It hurts me to say I want to leave citizens, a status Mouche describes removed from her mother’s arms, scrupulous people. Now we have discuss the predicament, he bluntly Iraq because my country is my coun- as akin to slavery. There was a third along with another young girl, a ISIS. said: “You, the West, try to protect try; my heritage and history is there; option: Leave ISIS-controlled areas woman and two men. To this day “On top of all this we have been animals from extinction. This is the soil is irrigated with the blood of or die. we do not know what has happened victims of a serious accusation, a people, this is humanity, and it my ancestors,” he said. “However, if The archbishop and other Chris- to them, he said. that the Americans came to pro- must have its dignity. One of the I cannot live there in dignity and se- tian notables were invited to meet With the fall of Qaraqosh, the tect Christians. They do not know officials hugged me and said he curity, I must find somewhere else. with ISIS leaders regarding the con- Christian population of the Nineveh that we have lost more than anyone would convey my message word for Where? I do not know.” ditions. “We did not go to the meet- plains was effectively expelled from else.” word to President Obama. Nothing ing because these conditions are not its historical home of thousands of Despite the catastrophe that has happened.” Tom Dinham is a London a discussion,” Mouche said in Erbil. years. befallen Iraq’s Christians, no help With the liberation of Mosul and correspondent for The Arab Weekly. Iraq today is a shadow of what it used to be

Viewpoint ebanon writes. Iraq’s society became so receptive tuals, prompting them to flee finding refuge anywhere that Egypt prints. Iraq to ideologies that were, at one their homeland towards Eastern Since offered a chance at a decent and “ reads.” This saying point, shunned by most. Europe, out of fear of imprison- safe life for them and their from the past One of the major factors is the ment, torture and execution. 2003, the families. L perfectly exempli- mass emigration waves in the During the 1990s, a new wave of successive All these events severed the fies how the Iraqi middle- and upper-class societies emigration rose, following the governments country’s backbone. Pursuit of people once endowed the passion caused by drastic political and end of the Iraq-Iran war and the higher education became an and thirst for knowledge through economic changes. invasion of Kuwait, which led to have had no astoundingly unnecessary option, the beauty of literature. Arab In 1958, a large number of Iraqis tough international sanctions. interest in as opposed to generations past, students were considered very immigrated mostly to the West The sanctions affected the lives building a which yearned for wisdom. Now Dalia fortunate if they were allowed to when a military coup took the of most of the nation. The healthy and the country is creating a genera- al-Aqidi attend a university in Baghdad. Hashemite monarchy down and well-educated and professional tion lacking in communication Anyone with knowledge of overthrew King Faisal II, in one of Iraqis no longer had the means to educated skills, with little to no education modern Iraq surely knows that at Iraq’s bloodiest moments. continue making ends meet. society and a pure lack of respect for the one point in time, the country The second wave was during With the escalation of violence legacy of what was Iraq. was well-known in the region for the 1970s under the ruling Ba’ath and religious sectarianism after When you have a large number higher education in the arts, Party when the government 2003, much of what was left of the of impressionable youths along poetry, theatre, medicine, and began targeting left-wing intellec- middle class fled Iraq in hopes of with a high rate of illiteracy piled architecture on top of the disappointment and A society such as this should loss of hope for a brighter future, not be a fertile environment for it would only make sense that any radical ideology. Unfortu- radical ideologies would grow like nately, it is now. a virus. The middle class began to rise There’s no magic solution to the in Iraq after World War I and problems — no instant “restart” started to flourish with the button. A long-term, well-funded emergence of the modern Iraqi commitment to education is state. Since then, it would have needed. its ups and downs until it became Unfortunately, since 2003, the what it is today. The signs were successive governments have had there but… no interest in building a healthy There are many reasons why and educated society that will take Iraq out of the medieval age. Sadly, nor will new ones in the near future because having an educated nation would eliminate There’s no magic any chance of them remaining in solution to the problems power. Winston Churchill definitely A long-term, well-funded knew what he was talking about commitment to education when he said: “Power is the is needed ultimate aphrodisiac.” Dalia al-Aqidi is an Arab-American Displaced Iraqi children, who fled from the violence in Mosul, studying. journalist based in Washington. 4 June 19, 2015 News & Analysis Lebanon Jumblatt fears for Druze minority

Michael Young pecially once the Syrian Army is no longer there to defend them. Since 2011, Walid Jumblatt has urged his Beirut Syrian co-religionists to participate in the Syrian uprising and avoid a new documentary has situation such as the one that is un- been released about Leb- folding. anese Druze leader Ka- On June 12th, Lebanon’s Druze A mal Jumblatt, who was Spiritual Council met in an emer- assassinated by the Syr- gency session to issue a call for rec- ian intelligence services in 1977. onciliation between the Druze and The documentary was directed the Sunnis of Hawran in southern by Hady Zaccak and produced by Syria. Jumblatt is worried not so Gisele Khoury, a journalist and wife much about a massacre of the Druze of another victim of assassination, than a steady rise in skirmishing in the writer Samir Kassir, in collabora- Sweida. Less alarming to him are tion with Sahar Baasiri, a Lebanese reports that the Islamic State might columnist. mount an offensive against the I was invited to a preview of the province. “They don’t have a pres- film held for Walid Jumblatt, the son ence there,” Jumblatt said. of Kamal Jumblatt and paramount Problems in Sweida could spur a leader of Lebanon’s Druze commu- migration of Druze in a number of nity. Watching Jumblatt watching possible directions: towards Jordan, a film about his father brought on the Golan Heights or even Lebanon. questions about what he must be This Jumblatt cannot relish, given thinking today, with Lebanon’s Dru- how Lebanon’s economic burdens ze a dwindling minority in a country since the Syrian war began have al- of minorities, even as the Druze of ready harmed the local Druze popu- Syria face existential threats. lation, which is largely rural. Under Syria’s Ba’athist regime, The killing of at least Jumblatt explains, alternative Druze Members of the Druze community’s religious leadership in Beirut, after a meeting with Walid Jumblatt. 20 Druze villagers by leaderships were decimated. As a al-Nusra Front on result, the community there is with- out a leader. Jumblatt has tried to fill he has followed since Kamal Jum- forget. first world war are disintegrating June 10th has the gap but admits his influence in blatt was assassinated: his rapid In many respects a scene in the and the fate of minorities in the re- heightened anxiety Syria is limited. reconciliation with the regime of documentary well encapsulates the gion is in doubt. in the Syrian Perhaps, but at a moment when Hafez Assad, which killed his father; legacy of the two men. As he takes Perhaps that was going through minorities throughout the region his conviction that the Druze can the film crew around the family Walid Jumblatt’s mind as he community are facing trials, caught in a battle only survive within an Arab consen- palace at Mukhtara, Walid is asked watched the documentary about his between Sunnis and Shia, the situ- sus, which means publicly adher- whether his father got involved in father. In those days the solution The killing of at least 20 Druze ation of the Druze also presents an ing to Arab nationalist beliefs and renovating the beautiful but once was simpler: to make peace with villagers by al-Nusra Front in Qalb opportunity for Jumblatt. As he be- never cutting themselves off from neglected structure. He replies the murderers. Today there are no Lawzah, a village in Idlib province, gins to hand over duties to his eld- their Arab surroundings; and, as an “No”, implying that Kamal Jumblatt easy solutions. “The Middle East of on June 10th has heightened anxiety est son, Taymur, Jumblatt can see extension, his insistence that the usually had his mind on more im- Sykes-Picot is dead,” Jumblatt says. in the Syrian community. This came benefits in expanding his influence Druze must never enter into conflict portant things, before adding that “Let’s preserve the Lebanon created amid signs that the Syrian govern- to Druze communities outside Leba- with the Sunni community, the ma- he himself had spent 35 years mod- by General Henri Gouraud.” How ment was withdrawing its army non. Such broader representation jority in the Arab world. ernising Mukhtara. He could just as revealing that this avowed socialist from the major area of Druze con- could help consolidate the Jumblatt Jumblatt recalls that his father easily have been speaking about his should see hope in a state created by centration in the southern province family’s political leadership at a was killed after he had isolated efforts to expand and consolidate French imperialists. of Sweida, to fall back on to more time when Druze demographics in himself by opposing Syrian entry Jumblatti power after 1977. easily defensible lines. Lebanon are not reassuring. into Lebanon in 1976, a deployment Just as Kamal Jumblatt’s killing Michael Young is a commentator The Druze of Sweida fear that Jumblatt’s priority has always later legitimised by the Arab League. heralded a new stage in Lebanon and analyst based in Beirut. He is their past collaboration with the re- been to protect the Druze and Jum- Though Kamal Jumblatt was far defined by Syrian hegemony, a new the author of The Ghosts of Martyrs’ gime of President Bashar Assad will blatti leadership over the Druze. from being a fool, his fate taught period lies before us today. It is one Square: An Eyewitness Account of provoke retaliation by the rebels, es- That explains most of the principles his son a lesson that he would never in which the states formed after the Lebanon’s Life Struggle. Lebanon’s fabric is fraying. This is why it matters

Viewpoint n May 25th, Lebanon and Christian parties. its independence from France. from the Maronites. The presi- marked one year While external players have a The system was designed to keep Lebanon is dency was weakened, and most of without a president hand in Lebanon’s latest politi- a balance among 18 sects, divid- part of the its powers were given to the prime — the longest stretch cal paralysis, they do not deserve ing power between a Maronite minister and his cabinet. O the country’s top all the blame. For the most part, Christian president, a Sunni prime proxy war in Parliament was expanded to post has been vacant the Lebanese did this to them- minister and a Shia speaker of the region 128 members, divided equally since the Lebanese civil war selves, and they need to find a parliament. Seats in parliament between Christians and Muslims. ended in 1990. political settlement of their own, were divided on a 6-to-5 ratio of Taif also called for all militias Since president Michel Sulei- otherwise, the Sunni-Shia rift in Christians to Muslims and that to disarm — except for Hezbol- man’s term ended in 2014, the Lebanon could explode. partitioning was extended to the lah, whose military branch was Mohamad Lebanese parliament, which is Lebanon is limping along, as lowest rungs of government. labelled a “national resistance” Bazzi responsible for appointing the it has since the assassination of The division was based on a 1932 against the Israeli occupation of president, has met 24 times and former prime minister Rafik Hariri census, which showed Maron- southern Lebanon. failed to elect a new head of state. in 2005. ites as the majority in Lebanon. All factions in Lebanon con- The Lebanese political system The Lebanese presidency is Since then, the government has stantly affirm that they will abide functions on deals struck between important for symbolic reasons: refused to have a new census. By by Taif, yet few acknowledge its many political parties and The post is set aside for a Chris- the 1960s, when Muslims began that the agreement also called for religious sects — and their foreign tian, and so Lebanon has the only to outnumber Christians, Muslims abolishing the sectarian system, backers. Consensus has been non-Muslim head of state in the clamoured for change in the bal- although it gave no time frame for elusive as the most powerful blocs Arab world. ance of power. doing so. lined up behind opposing sides in A previous impasse over a gov- That didn’t come until the end The sectarian political structure the civil war in neighbouring Syr- ernment went on for 18 months. of the civil war when the Taif Ac- leads to a weak state. It encour- ia. Hezbollah, Lebanon’s dominant During that time, Lebanon cord, brokered by Saudi Arabia and ages horse-trading and alliances Shia political party and militia, has was without a president for six Syria, restructured the Lebanese with powerful patrons, and it is dispatched thousands of fighters months. The stalemate was broken government by taking some power easily exploited by outside pow- to help President Bashar Assad’s when Hezbollah ignited the worst ers, including Syria, Iran and Saudi regime, while Hezbollah’s Sunni internal fighting since the end of Arabia. However, most of the opponents send funds and volun- Lebanon’s civil war. current players are too invested teers to Syrian rebels and jihadists. In May 2008, Hezbollah broke its in this system to really change it Each Lebanese faction accuses post-civil war promise not to turn and foreign patrons do not want the other of serving external mas- its weapons against fellow Leba- change because that could reduce ters — and they are right. Indeed, nese. Hezbollah was infuriated by their influence. Lebanon is part of the proxy war a government decision outlawing Eventually, the Lebanese will in the region — pitting Iran, which the militia’s underground fibre- have to decide what kind of supports Hezbollah and its Chris- optic communications network. country they want: one built on tian allies, against Saudi Arabia The group dispatched hundreds of sectarian gerrymandering or a and other Sunni Arab regimes, heavily armed guerrillas into the more democratic way of sharing which back a coalition of Sunni largely Sunni areas of West Beirut. power. Otherwise, Lebanon will be Hezbollah’s fighters and their allies dragged into the relentless cycle quickly routed Sunni militiamen, of sectarian violence sweeping the seized their political offices and Middle East. The sectarian political shut down media outlets owned by Saad Hariri, son of the assassi- Mohamad Bazzi is a journalism structure leads to a weak nated former prime minister. professor at New York University. state Lebanon’s problems are rooted This viewpoint was adapted from in a 1943 power-sharing agreement a column published by the Reuters installed when the country won A tenuous makeup news agency. June 19, 2015 5 News & Analysis Gulf Saudi women prepare for August elections Female voters encouraged to vote but some sceptical about impact

Robert L. Wagner Baladi Initiative, an advocacy group that helps women win positions in public office, said she sympathises Jeddah with those who view voting as a hopeless exercise. grass-roots effort has “I totally understand where they sprung up to register are coming from,” she said. “In a women to vote in Au- closed society like ours this is the A gust municipal elections perspective they have. It doesn’t in Saudi Arabia and to mean we keep quiet even if it’s address challenges facing first-time true. We need a shift in mindset to voters. be proactive and more responsive But the presence of women at the as citizens. I think it will take time.” polls is expected to have little im- Saudi Arabia has a chequered his- pact on the make-up of the coun- tory when it comes to voting. It had cils with the perception being that its first municipal elections in 1939 they have little political power and and again beginning in 1954. These are not responsive to females’ con- early efforts ceased in 1962. Follow- cerns. ing an initial burst of enthusiasm King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz in 2005, voter participation fell, Al Saud granted women the right particularly after the 2009 contests to vote in 2011 and the next year it were postponed until 2011. was announced that they could do In the September 2011 munici- so and run as candidates in the 2015 pal elections about 1.2 million elections. Saudi men were eligible to vote One Saudi university academic, for 5,323 candidates vying for 2,112 who spoke on the condition of an- council seats. But in Riyadh, only onymity, said she has no plans to about 300,000 of the men both- vote, though, because there was ered to register, a sharp drop from little evidence that councils would 800,000 registrants in 2005. Many be representative of her and other Saudis cited a lack of transparency women. by municipal councils, access to Last all-male vote: Saudi election officials prepare to count ballots in September 2011. public meetings and the perceived This is democracy at ineffectiveness of councils to im- an extremely low plement policies for the decline in is little confidence in local govern- “Voting is very symbolic,” Nafjan younger generation and the older interest. ance. said. “Yes, this is democracy at an generation,” Nafjan said. “Men in level but we must In a 2011 poll by the English- Still, there have been successes extremely low level but we must their 30s and 40s have a real issue still practice it language newspaper Arab News, for women. In the Eastern prov- still practice it. Democracy is com- with misogyny but the younger Saudis said they were dissatisfied ince, 80 women are running for city ing and it’s a basic principle of exer- generation, those in their 20s, are “Will my council in Jeddah build with the performance of the Jed- council seats in ten municipalities cising your right. It’s not about win- advocating for women. As for the parks and clean up the trash in my dah Municipal Council. The survey this year. ning, but practicing your rights.” older generation, they also support neighbourhood? They haven’t so found that 71.6% of the 387 polled Eman al-Nafjan, a writer and aca- She also noted that while the women. My grandmother had a far,” she said. “Will they build li- Saudis described the council’s per- demic who is working with the Bal- number of men vying for council shop in a souk and never had prob- braries and make neighbourhoods formance as “very bad.” Only 15.2% adi Initiative to help women with seats may vastly outnumber female lems. She was considered the ma- family-friendly? There is no trans- said the council’s conduct was online support to get out the vote, candidates, it doesn’t necessarily triarch of the family.” parency and no evidence that they “good.” said the poor council performance mean they have a lock on the elec- are responsive to my needs.” And therein lies a challenge for should not discourage women from tion. Robert L. Wagner is an Arab Weekly Fatin Bundagji, co-founder of the both male and female voters: There voting. “(Men) are ready, especially the contributor based in Saudi Arabia. UN pushes for Ramadan ceasefire in Yemen

Mohammed Alkhereiji a renewed humanitarian pause, ing clearance to fly over their air- Houthi delegation using its air- stuck in a quagmire: “They have particularly as the holy month space. space. failed politically. Their public sup- of Ramadan begins. “I am urging The rebels’ plane left the Yemeni The Geneva talks were expected port has dramatically weakened in London them that, particularly during this capital, Sana’a, on June 14th but to last two to three days, with UN the last couple of months, and they Ramadan, which is a period for was forced to wait in Djibouti for Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail are seeking a solution. fter a number of delays peace for people, they must stop,” nearly 24 hours, until Oman, the Ould Cheikh Ahmed, from Mauri- “This war proved to both sides and setbacks, UN-spon- Ban said. “I am urging the parties only Gulf monarchy that has not tania, shuttling between the del- that you need more than power sored talks in Geneva to have a humanitarian pause so joined the Saudi-led Arab coali- egations. to win, but dialogue, otherwise A designed to stem the that this can create some political tion, intervened. Officials, analysts and media this will continue to be a source of war in Yemen have be- space,” he said. Seif al-Washli, an adviser to the representing both sides of the con- trouble for all involved,” he added. gun. Speaking at the start of nego- The talks started on June 15th Houthi team, told Reuters in Ge- flict have been mostly pessimistic tiations, UN Secretary-General Ban after a delay in the arrival of the neva, “It is clear this was a result about the UN-sponsored talks, Both sides of the Ki-moon stated: “Yemen’s very ex- Houthi delegation, which the com- of Saudi pressure on Egypt and however. conflict have been istence hangs in the balance. While mittee blamed on Egypt and Su- Sudan to block the delegation and Exiled Yemeni Foreign Minis- parties bicker, Yemen burns.” dan, countries friendly with the humiliate them.” ter Riad Yassin said on June 15th mostly pessimistic The secretary-general stressed Arab coalition fighting the Houthi- Egyptian civil aviation officials prospects for a breakthrough were about the the need for local ceasefires and led group in Yemen, for not allow- denied Cairo had objections to the poor. “I’m not very optimistic,” UN-sponsored Yassin told Agence France-Presse, adding that the rebels “never re- talks spect any treaty” and were in Ge- neva “to make chaos”. Yemen has been wracked by He said a limited ceasefire was conflict between Iran-backed Shia possible only if the Houthis with- rebels and exiled President Abd drew from cities, released 6,000 Rabbo Mansour Hadi’s internation- prisoners, which include the Hadi ally recognised government. government’s minister of defence, More than 2,600 people have and complied with a UN resolu- been killed since the coalition be- tion. gan military operations in March. A humanitarian crisis worsened Yemen’s very due to a blockade imposed to existence hangs in stop military supplies to the Hou- the balance. While this. However, it also cut off civil- ians’ access to food, medicine and parties bicker, fuel. Yemen burns More than 3,000 cases, with three confirmed deaths, of dengue Regarding whether these pre- fever have been recorded since the conditions were a non-starter, conflict began, the World Health Sana’a-based CNN analyst Hakim Organisation said. Almasmari said: “Let’s be honest. In another development, the They (the exiled Yemeni lead- Washington Post reported that ership) are in Riyadh on the run. the leader of al-Qaeda’s branch in They have no power. They can Yemen was targeted in a CIA drone talk, but on the ground they need strike. al-Qaeda in the Arabian more power to accomplish their Peninsula (AQAP) released a video goals. statement saying Nasir al-Wuhay- Some of their demands can be shi died in the June 12th attack. resolved but not at their level of Qasim al-Rimi was named as Wu- expectations because their repre- hayshi’s successor. sentation in Yemen at the moment UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (R) speaks with Yemeni Foreign Minister Riad Yassin (L) on June is very low.” Mohammed Alkhereiji is the Gulf 15, 2015 at the UN offices in Geneva at the opening of Yemen peace talks. Almasmari said the Houthis are section editor of The Arab Weekly. 6 June 19, 2015 Opinion

Editorial The bounties of Ramadan

amadan has traditionally been celebrated by Muslims in the Arab world and beyond as a month of many bounties. The month-long fast is one of the pillars of the faith for the more than 1.6 billion Muslims around the globe. During Ramadan, the month in which the Quran was revealed to Prophet R Mohammad, the faithful are exhorted to exercise self-restraint as they abstain from food and drink from the first light of dawn until sunset.

More than that, it is a special time of spiritual commitment during which believers are expected to devote themselves to religious worship and recitation of the Quran.

It is also a joyful season that helps strengthen the family fabric. Increasingly, it is the only time of year when Arab families can escape the pressures of modern life to gather and renew bonds.

But the majority of Muslims in the Arab world are consumed by anguish and uncertainty as this year’s Ramadan begins.

Muslim communities throughout the region are pitted against each other in seemingly endless sectarian strife, all in the name of rival interpretations of the faith. © Yaser Ahmed for The Arab Weekly

Hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians in Syria and Iraq have been driven out of their homes by terror and war, and sectarian violence is destroying the lives of thousands more in Libya and Yemen. Britain should encourage Millions of confused youth suffering from joblessness, insecu- Europe to further engage rity and chaos wonder what the future will bring. They see little hope. Arab issues The nihilistic exploitation of the faith by extremists and the death and destruction being perpetrated under the banner of Islam are sources of pain for the overwhelming majority of Muslims, who watch helplessly as their religion of peace is t the time of writing, an attempt to prevent other hijacked by terrorists. we await the vote countries descending into that decides who will violence. be chairman of the The Arab nations are our This year, Ramadan should be an occasion to promote anew the British Parliament’s immediate neighbours, and we moderate interpretation of the faith that has taught Muslims for A Foreign Affairs Select need to engage much more generations that this is a time of personal striving to do good Daniel Kawczynski, MP Committee. One of the reasons I effectively with our allies to deeds, to help the less fortunate and to avoid discord and malice. decided to stand to be the next ensure that we are working Ramadan is the month when peace and reconciliation are cher- chairman of the committee is the together and are seen to be ished as quintessential values of Islam. urgent need to scrutinise govern- working together by the people of ment over our relations with the the countries we represent. Violent extremists are trying to misuse key moments in Islamic 22 members of the Arab League. The position of chairman of the history coinciding with the month of Ramadan as justification for Parliament needs to spend Foreign Affairs Select Committee terror and bloodshed and to confer legitimacy to their criminal greater effort in questioning how is voted on by all members of attacks on innocent civilians. This distorted interpretation of our country’s relations with key Parliament — all 650 of them. I Islamic history should be loudly challenged and rejected and its Arab allies are focusing on have spent the weeks after the attempts to take on the terrible general election highlighting to proponents vigorously denounced. threat emanating from the Islamic colleagues from all political State (ISIS) both in Iraq parties my strong interest in the Despite the bloody efforts by extremists to exploit its true mean- and Libya. Arab world, sharing with them ing, Ramadan remains nonetheless a time of unity in Arab socie- It is to the advantage We see in the region reports I have written during ties, even when they are divided by politics, social and economic many other serious official parliamentary delegations fractures. of no one that the trouble spots, including to Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Iraq Middle East is in the escalating war in and Oman as well as the United Yemen and the terrible Arab Emirates and other leading turmoil ongoing suffering Arab states. Published by Al Arab Publishing House engulfing Syria. Years on Certainly if I am elected chair- from the start of the civil man, I will discuss with the Publisher Contact editor at: war in Syria the death committee at the earliest opportu- and Group Executive Editor [email protected] toll is believed to be at least nity which reports we will want to Haitham El-Zobaidi, PhD 210,060, nearly half of them undertake as a country and for the civilians, but the Syrian Observa- members to present to the Editor-in-Chief tory for Human Rights has said the government for its response. real figure is probably much The role of the Foreign Affairs Oussama Romdhani higher. Select Committee is extremely This shows the real and vital important as the government has importance of good foreign policy, a formal obligation to respond to Deputy Editor-in-Chief as well as the need for nations to Select Committee reports and Dalal Saoud use all the levers open to them in enquiries. As chairman, I would Chief Copy Editors be seeking to encourage my colleagues on the committee to John Hendel Subscription & Advertising: and Jonathan Hemming [email protected] focus to a large degree on seeking Tel 020 3667 7249 to help our government resolve Analysis Section Editor some of the ongoing tension and Ed Blanche conflicts while at the same time Mohamed Al Mufti ensuring we seek to maximise Opinion Section Editor Marketing & Advertising Manager British mutual goodwill and trust Claude Salhani between our country and the Arab Tel (Main) +44 20 6702 3999 East/West Section Editor world. Direct: +44 20 8742 9262 While Britain will not be able to Mark Habeeb www.alarab.co.uk act alone, it can lead and influence Levant Section Editor others to take a real interest in a Jamal Halaby vital region of the world. It is to the advantage of no one that the Gulf Section Editor Middle East is in turmoil, and Mohammed Alkhereiji sadly things may get worse before they get better. But we must Society and Travel prevent the spread of ISIS and the Sections Editor cruel deaths it generates wherever Samar Kadi its members or its ideas travel.

Correspondents Daniel Kawczynski is a member Tom Dinham (London), Al Arab Publishing House Kensington Centre of the British Parliament and Dominique Roch (Beirut), 66 Hammersmith Road represents the constituency of Houda Ferjani (Paris), London W14 8UD, UK Shrewsbury and Atcham. He is the Justin Salhani Tel: (+44) 20 7602 3999 author of the book Seeking Gaddafi. and Joyce Karam (Washington) Fax: (+44) 20 7602 8778 Follow him on Twitter: @kawczynskiMP. June 19, 2015 7

United States lags in propaganda war against ISIS

n the war against Islamic highlighted recently in a memo, but most experts agree there are 2001. The earliest effort, in extremists, fighting their leaked to the New York Times, by more foreign fighters in the ranks response to claims that the United ideology is as important as Richard Stengel, a former manag- of extremist groups, chiefly ISIS, States was waging war on Mus- fighting them with bullets, ing editor of Time magazine who than there were in the fight lims, featured Muslims living I bombs and special forces’ became under-secretary of state against the Soviets in Afghani- contented lives in the United raids. for public diplomacy in 2014. The stan. States. Critics mocked it as “the Or, to cite the official US view, departments he oversees include happy Muslim” campaign. Then Bernd Debusmann “Lasting victories over terrorism the Center for Strategic Counter- What makes ISIS there was a film produced by and the violent extremist ideolo- terrorism Communications Disney entitled Portraits of gies that underpin it are not found (CSCC). propaganda so America and shown in airports. on the battlefield but rather in “When it comes to the external effective is an At one point last year, CSCC mindsets.” So says a US State message, our narrative is being unprecedented engaged in a tit-for-tat Twitter Department fact sheet on the trumped by ISIL’s,” Stengel wrote war with ISIS, responding to its need for a counteroffensive to Secretary of State John Kerry, mix of media tweets rapidly in blunt and often against an Islamic State (ISIS) using the administration’s sarcastic language. One video that propaganda machine that makes acronym for ISIS. “We are reactive What makes ISIS propaganda so went viral, with more than skilful use of social media and — we think about ‘counter-narra- effective, experts say, is an 800,000 views on YouTube, was produces up to 90,000 tweets and tive’ not ‘our narrative.’” unprecedented mix of media. called Welcome to ISIS Land and other online messages a day in Stengel wrote the bluntly Apart from the grisly beheading uses the group’s own stomach- Arabic and English. worded memo after a working- videos that shock most people but turning images of beheadings and As often happens in Washing- group meeting with officials from attract the violent fringe, there executions to mock the notion ton, there is a gap Britain, the United Arab Emirates are video games, rap music and, that new recruits would fight a between words and deeds and the United States charged lately, documentaries focusing on worthy cause in defence of Islam. ISIS is speaking to — America’s “counter- with countering extremist health care and social pro- The video angered ISIS, judging young people on messaging” efforts have propaganda. “The UAE is reticent, grammes in areas under ISIS from a storm of tweets, but it also been stymied by miserly the Brits are overeager and the control. irritated senior US officials who edge in a language funding and bureaucratic working group structure is “This is sophisticated. It is thought it unseemly that a wrangling. The small State confusing,” the memo said. One Madison Avenue meets documen- government unit would adopt the they understand Department unit set up in way to sharpen the anti-ISIS tary film-making meets news enemy’s communications style. 2010 to blunt extremist message would be to create a channel with sensibility and The veteran diplomat who propaganda operates on a multinational communications marketing value,” Scott Talan, a masterminded Welcome to ISIS budget of $5 million-$6 hub in the Middle East, it sug- social media professor at Ameri- Land, Alberto Fernandez, lost his million a year. That is roughly the gested. can University in Washington, job. price of a missile-laden Predator How long would it take to set told ABC News. drone, US President Barack this up and how many nations ISIS is speaking to young people Bernd Debusmann is a writer Obama’s favourite weapon in the would it include? Not yet clear. on edge in a language they on foreign affairs based in shooting war. What is clear is that ISIS has understand — video, imagery and Washington. He has reported from How the team charged with the been successful in attracting music. more than 100 countries and was counter-messaging campaign recruits from all over the world to The US counter-message has wounded twice while covering the views its success or failure was its violent cause. Estimates vary varied in tone since September 11, civil war in Lebanon. The Russians, um, make that the Chechens are coming

mid depressing and worrying reports that the international community is not A doing enough in the face of mounting Claude Salhani threats from the Islamic State (ISIS), UN bodies claim that the word’s most frightening terror organisation has seen a dramatic and impressive swelling of the ranks as hundreds of foreign youths are enticed to join the ranks of the jihadists fighting to establish a caliphate in the Levant and beyond. The United States says efforts are under way to stop foreign fighters from reaching Iraq or Syria, but whatever means have been undertaken fall short. A brief walk through Istanbul’s Ataturk airport recently gave witness to scores of young men of military age and physique sporting Islamic-style beards using Istanbul as the transit point. Several factors, including lan- guage and accents, pointed to them being Chechens and others were also clearly not from northern and central Africa. So worried are international governments that the UN Security Chechen would-be fighter on trial in Austria. Council meeting May 29th included interior ministers for the first time after a UN study showed The Security Council adopted a Arab Emirates and Jordan, fighters returning from the Syrian a rise in the number of foreign resolution in September 2014 that friendly to the United States, and Iraqi fronts could start a third terrorist fighters worldwide. called on governments to make it rather than weaken or defeat ISIS, Chechen war. The study showed a 71% a serious crime for their nationals instead apparently has empow- Turkey could perhaps take the increase in the number of foreign to enlist in such groups as fight- ered it to make new gains, as initiative by monitoring more fighters joining the jihad ers. demonstrated with the capture of closely who transits its airports from mid 2014 through Oblivious to international the historic city of Palmyra in and territory to gain access to An innovative March 2015. Samantha attempts to prevent them from Syria and the civilian airport in ISIS-controlled areas with which it Power, the US ambassador reaching their intended destina- Libya. shares a border. Turkish President strategy will be to the United Nations, tions, large numbers of foreign It is crystal clear that an innova- Recep Tayyip Erdogan supports, needed to address says the rate of flow is fighters travelled from Tunisia, tive strategy will be needed to to some degree, the Islamists, yet higher than it has ever Morocco, France and Russia. The address the mounting threat. he must be under no illusion that, the mounting threat been and is mainly United Nations says new trails of Western intelligence agencies given the very nature and man- focused on movement jihadists have been noted from report that returning Islamist date of the Islamists, it remains a into Syria and Iraq, with a the Maldives, Finland and combatants pose a real threat to matter of time before ISIS turns its growing problem evident Trinidad and Tobago, as well as the security of Western Europe. attention to Turkey as well. in Libya. sub-Saharan African countries. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Around 25,000 foreign fighters Arguably, more than 160 raids Lavrov said Russia’s greatest Claude Salhani is the Opinion from more than 100 countries have by US military planes and more threat comes from Chechens who section editor of The Arab Weekly. joined the ranks of local armed sorties by a coalition of countries, have been joining the ranks of ISIS You can follow him on Twitter @ groups, according to the report. including Saudi Arabia, the United by the hundreds. He warned that Claudesalhani. 8 June 19, 2015 News & Analysis Maghreb ‘The Uncatchable’ Mokhtar Belmokhtar

Tripoli In a rare 2007 interview, he said he was fascinated by the exploits of okhtar Belmokhtar, the mujahideen fighting the Soviet the one-eyed Islam- invaders of Afghanistan and joined ist reported to have them in 1991 when he was barely been killed in a US air 19. It was in Afghanistan that he M strike in Libya, was said he lost an eye to shrapnel and an al-Qaeda veteran and master- where he had his first contact with mind of a devastating attack on an al-Qaeda. Algerian natural gas plant. He returned to Algeria in 1993, a Branded “The Uncatchable”, he year after the government sparked was twice condemned to death by civil war by cancelling an election Algeria and reported killed in Mali the Islamic Salvation Front was at least once before the United poised to win. He joined the Armed States, which had placed a $5 mil- Islamic Group (GIA), which waged lion bounty on him, targeted him. a campaign of civilian massacres, Libya’s internationally recog- sometimes wiping out entire vil- nised government claimed that lages. Belmokhtar died June 14th in a Belmokhtar thrived thanks to his US attack, the first air strike by knowledge of the nearly lawless Washington on the country since “Grey Zone” of southern Algeria, Muammar Qaddafi’s regime fell in northern Mali and neighbouring Ni- 2011. The Pentagon said that while ger, and a network of tribal allianc- Belmokhtar had been the target, it es he cemented through marriage. was still awaiting confirmation of In 1998, the Salafist Group for his death. Preaching and Combat (GSPC) broke away from the GIA. Belmokhtar, The United States now nicknamed “The Uncatcha- had placed a $5 ble” by a former French intelligence Top target million bounty on chief, went with them. Nine years later, the GSPC formally adopted him the jihadist ideology of Osama bin A Malian official said AQIM nas plant left 38 hostages — all but ate community. The group said it Laden, renaming itself al-Qaeda in supremo Abdelmalek Droukdel one foreign — dead. Twenty-nine was avenging a jihadist killed by But the al-Qaeda-affiliated An- the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). claimed Belmokhtar had been “dis- militants were killed. the French army in December 2014 sar al-Sharia of Libya denied June AQIM spun a tight network across missed for straying from the right Chad claimed that Belmokhtar in northern Mali and punishing the 16th that Mokhtar Belmokhtar was tribal and business lines in the Sa- path”. was killed in northern Mali in 2013 West for mocking the Prophet Mo- killed in the US air strike. hel, operating in harsh desert ter- The split made international but France never confirmed his hammad. Of all the jihadists in Africa’s Sa- rain and making millions of dollars headlines in 2013 after a scathing death. Three months later Wash- It was referring to images pub- hel region, it is Belmokhtar whose from ransoming European hostag- letter from al-Qaeda to Belmokhtar ington established the $5 million lished by Paris satirical magazine image hangs in the office of Colonel es. was found and published following bounty. Charlie Hebdo; 12 people were Luc Laine, the French Army head Belmokhtar was ousted as one the French intervention in Mali. killed at its offices by two Islamist in Gao, Mali, — “To remind myself of AQIM’s top leaders in northern Belmokhtar founded Signatories Belmokhtar vowed brothers during three days of jihad- that he exists and that he wants to Mali for what one regional security in Blood in late 2012 and merged ist attacks in Paris that left 17 peo- hurt me,” the officer said. official said were his “continued it with MUJAO, one of the jihadist continued backing ple dead. As well as the gas plant siege in divisive activities despite several groups that seized control of north- for al-Qaeda Al-Mourabitoun in May said 2013, Belmokhtar personally su- warnings”. With a reputation for ern Mali in early 2012, to form the it had pledged allegiance to the pervised plans for twin car bomb- smuggling — dealing in contra- Al-Mourabitoun group. Al-Mourabitoun claimed respon- Islamic State (ISIS) group, but ings in Niger that killed at least 20 band cigarettes, stolen cars and He launched the Algerian gas sibility for the first attack against Belmokhtar distanced himself people that year, according to a even drugs, as well as profiting plant attack days after France led Westerners in Bamako on March from the declaration and vowed spokesman for his group. from illegal immigration networks an armed intervention into Mali 7th. Three Malians, a French na- continued backing for al-Qaeda in Belmokhtar was born in 1972 in — Belmokhtar’s commitment to in January 2013, which his group tional and a Belgian were killed what was interpreted as evidence the Algerian desert city of Ghar- AQIM’s puritanical brand of Islam termed a “Crusader campaign”. when militants stormed a nightclub of a serious schism. daia. was questioned. The four-day siege at the In Ame- popular with the capital’s expatri- (Agence France-Presse) ISIS in Libya is more dangerous than in Syria and Iraq

Viewpoint imilar to what happened But Sirte was scarred by attacks farms, Harawa lacked necessary in- The population of Sirte is tribal in Afghanistan, Somalia from rebels who destroyed much of frastructure for its 3,000 residents. The vacuum by character and belongs to the and Iraq, where extrem- the city and displaced many of its The takeover of Harawa appeared Maliki-Sunni faction of Islam. They ist groups found the inhabitants. The corpse of Qaddafi like a festive and voluntary sur- caused by are devout people by nature and S right environment to was exposed in a freezer in Mis- render of the city to ISIS. This may the collapse know the Quran by heart. This attract followers under rata’s market square for onlookers signal that ISIS in Libya could be on of the explains the absence in the area of the guise of religious slogans, the to gloat over. the way to doing the same in other slogans espousing the jihad against Islamic State (ISIS) in Libya is As they have done in the past in cities. Libyan state apostates and Christians and Shia. slowly making inroads on the destroyed cities such as Falluja, ISIS in Syria and Iraq laid its hand created Despite the apparent integration southern coast of the Mediterra- Ramadi, Mogadishu and Kanda- on government buildings and hos- perfect of the Islamic State within the local Mohamed Hadi nean, a stone’s throw from har, hard-line groups flourished. pitals, infrastructure, working oil conditions Libyan puritanical and tribal cul- Hannachi Europe. ISIS announced its presence in fields, dams, rivers and monetary tures, the group may turn out to be The road for the ISIS’s rise was the city in July 2013. In May 2015, deposits in banks in the areas that for the more dangerous here than its brutal paved in 2011. When NATO’s it overtook Sirte, then Harawa, a fell under its control. It became the germination namesakes in Iraq and Syria. mission in Libya ended with the main crossing towards the oil-rich richest terrorist organisation in the of jihadist In Iraq there still exists a state, an killing of Muammar Qaddafi, the crescent. world, with renewable resources, army, resources, weapons and an international community turned Many in Harawa have long felt things the Taliban in Afghanistan extremism international coalition preoccupied a blind eye to the seeds of ex- marginalised. Despite its unique or the Islamic Courts in Somalia did by the expansion of the regime. A tremism and terror brought in by position on the coast and its fertile not have. number of countries are endeav- the presence of rebels who had ouring to contain its expansion. fought against Qaddafi’s army. The In Libya, however, the prevailing vacuum caused by the collapse of political climate coupled with the the Libyan state created perfect collapse of state institutions and conditions for the germination of the coming apart of the tribal fabric jihadist extremism. under the repeated attacks since In contrast to the city of Derna, the fall of Qaddafi could incredibly which was a traditional haven turn ISIS into a desirable alternative for extremists and which became for many Libyans, when compared the birthplace of the first Islamic to the rebels. emirate in Libya at the beginning The latter are perceived by some of 2012, the city of Sirte — Qaddafi’s Libyans as having displaced their hometown — seemed impervious families, orphaned their children to the extremist narrative. Its tribal and dispossessed them in the name make-up, cohesive social fabric of the revolution. and the strong legacy of Qaddafi’s This could lead to the birth of an regime made the growth of ex- alliance between the communities tremism seem unlikely. that see themselves as having been victimised and whoever promises to avenge them, even if it is ISIS. This is exactly what happened in Afghanistan with the Taliban. They The takeover of Harawa were welcomed by many of the appeared like a festive communities that fell under their control. A similar scenario could and voluntary surrender play out in Libya again and again.

of the city to ISIS Mohamed Hadi Hannachi is a Dubai-based Tunisian analyst on Maghreb affairs. June 19, 2015 9 News & Analysis Arab world For the Middle East, a gathering whirlwind

Ed Blanche because it allows Tehran to mobilise Shia militias into a veritable foreign legion that includes Arabs, Afghanis Beirut and Pakistanis and which forms the paramilitary spearhead of stealthy ith conflicts raging Iranian expansion. across the Middle The Shias were dominated by the East, from Libya to Sunnis until the 16th century, when W Yemen, and a sec- the Safavid Persian empire, which tarian cataclysm ruled until the mid-18th century, looming in the Gulf and the Levant, challenged the Sunni Ottomans for what happens in the increasingly supremacy. complex civil war in Syria will have profound consequences across the Iran strategic goal is entire region. to extend Shia Much of this centres on Iran. It has become a critical player in influence across the Syria, which under the regime of Arab world and Asia President Bashar Assad has been its key Arab ally and its stalking horse Most of the region was controlled against Tehran’s arch enemy Israel. by the Sunnis and remains so. But Iran has a lot at stake in Assad’s since 1979, the theocratic Iranian regime as it struggles to extend its Republic has been the centre of Shia influence across the Arab world, power, its primary objective to ex- particularly in Iraq, Yemen, Leba- port Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s non and Bahrain. This helps explain ground-breaking Islamic revolu- Tehran’s recent decision to heavily tion. strengthen its forces in Syria. Constrained in any eastward ex- But the conflict in Syria is increas- pansion by India and Pakistan, Teh- ingly one between Saudi Arabia, the ran has had to look west towards birthplace of Islam and champion of the Arab world. And in 1980, at the Sunni Muslims, and Shia Iran. The start of the Iran-Iraq war, Syria be- 1,300-year-old religious schism has came a key ally under Bashar As- become a struggle for political and sad’s father, Hafez. economic power. The creation of Hezbollah in neighbouring Lebanon in 1982 gave New-found Arab Iran a powerful force right on Isra- A Syrian refugee carries her belongings as she crosses into Turkey. assertiveness is el’s northern border. The rebellion against Assad’s regime in March already extending to 2011 was a major setback for Teh- holy cities of Mecca and Medina to to strengthen its regional power. nian-backed Shia Houthi rebels in Syria ran, with the threat of a Sunni re- remain under Shia control,” the US However, Stratfor analyst Ian Yemen on its porous eastern border gime emerging in Syria. security consultancy Stratfor con- Morris observed: “Iran’s revival as — much too close to home. If Assad can be kept in power, But the campaigns by ISIS and al- cluded in a May analysis. a regional power, we should con- This new-found Arab assertive- Iran will have a big stake in Syria’s Qaeda affiliates like al-Nusra Front, “And there are simply not enough clude, is likely but not inevitable… ness is already extending to Syria: post-war economy, including a vast all Sunnis, have given Iran a chance Shias to do anything about it since The more Iran remains a revisionist witness the recent gains by rebel reconstruction process. Iran, the re- to regroup and to exploit Sunni divi- they are essentially surrounded by power, challenging the status quo, forces backed by the Saudi-led alli- gion’s largest cement producer, can sions and weaknesses. Sunnis… As much as Iran would the less likely it is to revive as a re- ance with its oft-times rivals, Tur- expect major contracts, as well as In the end, numbers could be like to further exploit current Sunni gional power.” key and Qatar. That may prove to building a natural gas pipeline from the deciding factor. Shias consti- weaknesses, changes under way in The United States, having prov- be the turning point in the war. But Iran’s huge South Pars field in the tute only one-tenth of the world’s Tehran could thwart its leaders’ re- en indecisive and reluctant to get it will likely intensify the confron- Gulf westwards to the Mediterra- estimated 2 billion Muslims. Iran’s gional ambitions — as could internal dragged into another Middle East- tation with Iran, whose ambitions nean for export to Europe, doubling Shias are mostly Persians, not Arabs differences among Shias and the ern bloodbath as it pulls back from Riyadh is determined to quash — its energy exports at a stroke. and there are limits to how deeply progression of the Syrian civil war.” the region, has limited its involve- whether or not there’s a nuclear Yet for Iran, crushing the Islamic Arab Shias, such as those in Iraq, That may be so. But Saudi Arabia ment in Syria’s war to training deal between Tehran and the P5+1 State (ISIS) is a relatively short-term would support the Islamic Republic. and other Sunni states fear that an “moderate” rebels. powers. objective. Its strategic goal is to ex- “Even in the unlikely scenario agreement between Iran and US-led But Saudi Arabia, under its new tend Shia influence across the Arab that Saudi Arabia weakens so much world powers on curtailing Iran’s monarch King Salman bin Abdul- Ed Blanche is Analysis section world and Asia. that Iran assumes de facto control nuclear programme marks a major Aziz Al Saud, has thrown its tra- editor of The Arab Weekly. He has The battle against the Sunni ji- of the Arabian peninsula, the Sunni geostrategic shift in the Middle East ditional caution to the winds and covered Middle Eastern affairs hadists is proving to be invaluable populations would not allow the that will allow the Islamic Republic with its Arab allies is attacking Ira- since 1967 and lives in Beirut. Cairo and Riyadh finessing differences over Syria policy

Gregory Aftandilian But while Cairo and Riyadh saw “impressions” of discord between eye-to-eye on the Muslim Broth- the two countries came from and erhood, differences surfaced over Shoukry said their policies “comple- Washington the Syrian civil war. Although Sisi ment” each other. regime had no great affection for Jubeir emphasised that “we are gypt and Saudi Arabia Bashar Assad, Cairo saw Assad as all seeking to remove Bashar Assad have developed close re- preferable to a Syria ruled by an from power”, restore “peace and lations since the ouster Islamist coalition whose elements stability in Syria” and “protect gov- E of Muhammad Morsi as not only include the Syrian Muslim ernment and military institutions” president of Egypt in July Brotherhood but also more radical there “to be able to deal with the 2013, witnessed by substantial Sau- groups such as the al-Nusra Front. challenges after the Assad regime”. di financial aid to Abdel Fattah al- Qatar and Turkey — which have Shoukry said Egypt was working Sisi’s Egypt and Egyptian military given safe haven to Egyptian Broth- with the Russians to convince the assistance to the Saudi-led effort erhood leaders who escaped the Syrian government to take part in a against the Houthis in Yemen. Sisi regime’s dragnet — have been political process involving various But Riyadh and Cairo seem to active in supporting the Syrian Is- factions while Jubeir said contacts have sharp differences over Syria lamist rebels. with Russia are geared to convince policy. While both have tried to pa- From Cairo’s perspective, this is Moscow to “give up on Bashar” or per over these publicly, deep divi- part of a nefarious cabal that seeks convince him “to give up power”. sions remain. to destabilise the region. What is es- Cairo is undoubtedly concerned pecially troubling to Cairo is that its that radical Islamists could fill a While Cairo and Saudi patron has joined this group Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (R) and his Saudi power vacuum in a post-Assad Syria Riyadh saw — at least on the Syria issue — wit- counterpart, Adel al-Jubeir, hold a news conference in Cairo on and is trying to find a compromise nessed by Saudi-Turkish coopera- May 31, 2015. solution, with the aid of the Rus- eye-to-eye on the tion to aid the rebels. sians, that would include elements Muslim From the Saudi perspective, As- ian crisis, thus implying that Egypt show host’s “excesses” required ac- of the Assad government. The Sau- Brotherhood, sad is the main problem. He has shared this goal. In response, Saudi tion. He implied that such talk must dis, on the other hand, want the differences surfaced insulted Saudi leaders and waged Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal stat- have the Egyptian regime’s approval Assad regime to go and seem to be- a bloody war against Syria’s Sunni ed, with television cameras taping, because “it is the regime’s media”. lieve they can manage a process that over the Syrian civil population. And the Saudis see the that the Russians “are a main part would ensure that more moderate war assistance of Iran and Hezbollah to of the miseries that affect the Syrian Riyadh and Cairo Islamist rebels come out on top. the Assad regime as part of a Shia people”. seem to have sharp Either policy includes a lot of Saudi Arabia was pleased to see scheme, making the Saudi leader- Not wanting to get into a pub- differences over wishful thinking on the part of Ri- Morsi ousted by Sisi, who was once ship adamant that Syrian regime lic spat with Saudi officials, Sisi yadh and Cairo, but for the time be- Morsi’s defence minister, in 2013 must be defeated at all costs, even thanked the Saudi foreign minister Syria policy ing they will continue to disagree because it saw the Muslim Brother- if that means putting the struggle for his remarks and quickly changed while glossing over their differences hood as a threat not only to Egyp- against the Islamic State (ISIS) on the topic. Two months later, the new Saudi in public. tian stability but also to the king- the back burner. In the aftermath, an Egyptian foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, flew dom. It lavished the new Egyptian These differences came to the sur- television talk show host who is to Cairo to meet with his Egyptian Gregory Aftandilian is an regime with billions of dollars in face at the Arab summit in Sharm reportedly close to Sisi said “Arab counterpart, Sameh Shoukry. The associate of the Middle East economic aid and had no compunc- el-Sheikh in March. Reportedly, Sisi oil money from Saudi Arabia and two foreign ministers did their best Center at the University of tions about Sisi’s subsequent crack- proudly read out loud a letter from Qatar is also killing the Syrian peo- to downplay their differences in Massachusetts-Lowell and is a down on the Muslim Brotherhood Russian President Putin who advo- ple”. A Saudi journalist entered the public. former US State Department Middle apparatus. cated a political solution to the Syr- fray, tweeting that the Egyptian talk Jubeir said he did not know where East analyst. 10 June 19, 2015 News & Analysis Turkey Turkey and Russia try to find common ground

Thomas Seibert boost its exports to Russia. Nowhere is the Turkish-Russian convergence of interests larger than Istanbul in the energy field. Russia is a major supplier of natural gas and oil for ong-time rivals Turkey and Turkey and will build Turkey’s first Russia are putting aside dif- nuclear reactor for an estimated ferences concerning the $20 billion. L Syrian conflict and other The focus of talks between Anka- issues to concentrate on ra and Moscow is Turkish Stream, a field in which both countries can a natural gas pipeline project pro- expect huge economic and political posed by Putin during a visit to benefits: energy cooperation. Turkey in December 2014. The Turkish President Recep Tayyip plan includes construction of a Erdogan met with Russian Presi- 1,100-kilometre pipeline from Rus- dent Vladimir Putin at the June 13th sia through the Black Sea to the Eu- opening ceremony of the European ropean part of Turkey, from where Games in Azerbaijan. gas would be pumped to the rest of Posing for photographers before Europe. going into 90 minutes of talks with Turkish Stream would enable the Russian leader, Erdogan said Russia to transit gas to the Euro- that no EU head of state was at- pean market without having to use tending the opening ceremony of Ukraine, where the government has the games, in a reference to a boy- been fighting pro-Russian rebels. cott by European leaders protest- Turkey would get transit revenues, ing Azerbaijan’s human rights re- a share of the gas and a boost for cord. Putin responded that Turkey, its ambition to become an interna- as an EU candidate country, repre- tional energy hub. Russia wants the sented “the whole of the European pipeline to be ready by the end of Union”. 2016. Kamer Kasim, an expert on Rus- Nowhere is the sia at the International Strategic Re- Turkish-Russian search Organisation (USAK) think- Energy-driven ties convergence of tank in Ankara, said there was a “positive atmosphere” and “syn- interests larger than ergy” between the two countries. Moscow and Ankara also differ gas to world markets by avoiding because of differences between in the energy field Relations between Turkey and on Syria, where Russia is backing hostile countries such as Ukraine. Russia and the European Union. Russia, heirs to former empires President Bashar Assad and Tur- Blue Stream, an existing gas pipe- Turkey is also involved in the The remark was more than a competing for superiority in the key champions the opposition. line through the Black Sea, has construction of a gas pipeline from jab by a man who had just been Black Sea and Caucasus region, are But those differences have had no been transporting gas from Russia the Caspian Sea to the European snubbed by Group of Seven lead- far from problem-free. In April, Er- effect on good bilateral relations, to Turkey since 2005. market, scheduled to start operat- ers as they met in Germany without dogan criticised Putin for attend- Kasim said. “Syria is a marginal is- Turkish Stream would have ing in 2019. him earlier in June. Putin’s state- ing the official commemoration sue in Turkish-Russian relations,” enough capacity to pump 63 billion Kasim said Russia was pressing ment underlined the basic Russian of the Armenian genocide, a char- he said. cubic metres of natural gas a year, for an agreement with Turkey on assumption that Turkey is a Euro- acterisation Turkey denies, in the Cooperation in energy matters of which about 16 would be for Tur- Turkish Stream by early July. Putin pean power Moscow can do busi- Armenian capital, Yerevan. There is what keeps Turkish-Russian ties key while the rest would be sent on and Erdogan talked about the issue ness with. Among other things, is also concern in Ankara about the going. Turkey gets about 60% of its to Greece and the rest of Europe. in Baku but did not make any deci- Erdogan’s Turkey has refused to Crimean Tartars, an ethnic group natural gas and 10% of oil imports Putin announced the project in An- sions, he added. follow EU sanctions against Rus- with links to Turkey that lives on from Russia. Situated between Eu- kara last December after a plan for sia over the conflict in Ukraine. In- in Crimea, annexed by Russia from rope and Asia, Turkey is well-suited a pipeline to EU member Bulgaria, Thomas Seibert is an Arab Weekly stead, Turkey has been seeking to Ukraine in 2014. for Russia’s efforts to export oil and called South Stream, fell through contributor in Istanbul. Turkey’s Kurds have their day but face challenges ahead

Mona Alami a larger number of conservative Movement Party (MHP) and HDP ton think-tank. tread carefully in the emerging po- Kurdish votes, which led to a loss each claimed 80. Increasingly divisive AKP posi- litical landscape. of the AKP parliamentary major- “The pro-Kurdish HDP party tioning on the local and regional “HDP co-chair Selahattin Demir- Beirut ity, dropping from 49.83% in 2011 managed to win the votes of con- scene, particularly its Syria policy tas has promised to appeal to a to 41%, thus depriving Erdogan’s servative Kurdish Muslims, which and the fight against the Islamic broader base that would include he Turkish electorate sent party of the 330 seats needed to call resulted in the AKP losing seats to State (ISIS), may have contributed women, Alevis, minority sects, President Recep Tayyip for a referendum on proposed con- the HDP. The HDP has thus played to the AKP being stripped of some Kurds, as well as liberal democrats Erdogan a strong message stitutional changes. a major role in shifting the balance of its traditional votes. Kurds did and leftists,” Seckin noted. “This T on June 7th by thwarting The AKP secured 258 seats, with of power,” says Kurdish expert not forget Erdogan’s hesitation in means that they’ll have to mitigate his ambition to establish the Republican People’s Party Wladimir van Wilgenburg of the allowing Kurdish fighters to cross Kurdish nationalism and ties with an executive presidential system (CHP) taking 132 while the National Jamestown Foundation, a Washing- into the battle-torn Syrian border the PKK, as well as concede on more in Turkey. Part of this message city Kobani to join the fight against radical demands, including issues was built around the success of the ISIS in 2014. linked to regional autonomy.” main political faction of the coun- The slowdown in long-running try’s Kurdish minority, the Peoples’ peace negotiations with Ankara The HDP has Democratic Party (HDP), which was has further disillusioned the Kurds, allocated 30 of its 80 able to overcome the 10% election with the HDP calling on June 11th seats to women threshold necessary to enter parlia- for a resumption of the process. ment. Kurdish interests also lie in the With its historic breakthrough af- revitalisation of the peace process Van Wilgenburg sees the next ter years in the political wilderness, with the outlawed Kurdistan Work- phase as likely to bring more insta- many challenges await the Kurdish ers Party (PKK), which may be in- bility. A few days before the elec- party as it enters the complex Turk- volved in shaping a future coalition tion, a bombing at a pro-Kurdish ish political field dominated since government. rally killed two people and wound- 2002 by Erdogan, three times prime “There are several possibilities. ed dozens more. Four people were minister who became president An alliance with the CHP, Turkey’s killed in the mainly Kurdish south- in August 2014 and sought to mo- main opposition party, would cer- eastern city of Diyarbakir after Ay- nopolise executive power for a post tainly be the best option for the tac Baran, chairman of a charity long deemed neutral. country’s economic and political close to the Kurdish Islamist Free But the HDP has changed the face stability and would have positive Cause Party, was shot dead on June of Turkish politics and bloodied repercussions on the peace process 9th. the nose of the long-dominant Jus- since the CHP views concessions The Patriotic Revolutionist Youth tice and Development Party (AKP), positively,” says Ege Seckin, a po- Movement (YDGH), a branch of the which Erdogan used to put himself litical and economic analyst at the PKK, was blamed by some for that in power. In a country torn by po- IHS consultancy in London. attack, but it denied involvement. litical violence for decades, many However one expert, speaking on fear greater instability. Turkey’s Kurds must condition of anonymity, says the The HDP’s success can be partly brace for a long and attack was the work “of a third explained by its ability to evolve column with possible links to in- from an exclusive pro-Kurdish par- challenging year telligence services aiming at stalk- ty into one appealing to various so- ahead ing inter-communal animosity, cial groups such as left-wing or lib- which would be disserving the eral citizens, minority groups and The final possibility is new elec- HDP”. women, many of whom were mar- tions if the parties cannot form Barely in the political race, it ginalised under Erdogan’s Islamic- a coalition government. “I think seems that Turkey’s Kurds must influenced rule. The HDP has allo- there will be early elections since brace for a long and challenging cated 30 of its 80 seats to women. all the opposition parties cannot year ahead. The rise of the HDP appears to work together to form a govern- have stemmed, for now at least, Er- ment,” van Wilgenberg observed. Mona Alami is a French-Lebanese dogan’s attempts to boost his pow- Besides dealing with the complex analyst and a fellow at the Rafik ers by transforming Turkey’s parlia- issue of the government structure Hariri Center for the Middle East mentary system into a presidential and the future of the peace process, of the Atlantic Council. She lives in one. The HDP managed to capture Still, challenges ahead the newly elected HDP will have to Beirut. June 19, 2015 11 News & Analysis Turkey Iran The Turkish vote as seen from Washington

Amal Mudallali popular unrest, and the “dip in for- eign direct investment due to con- cerns about the general investment Washington environment in Turkey” as impor- tant factors in the elections. urkey’s political land- A close look at the election re- scape is being redrawn sults reveals that Turkish foreign after elections that saw policy cost the AKP precious politi- T the ruling party of Presi- cal capital and none of the regional dent Recep Tayyip Er- problems proved more damaging to dogan lose its parliamentary major- Erdogan and the AKP than the Syr- ity. Washington and the region are ian crisis. watching to see how the new Turk- For example, when the battle ish government will change Turkey for Kobani on the Syrian-Turkish and its foreign policy, especially to- border — an area mainly populated wards Syria. with Kurds — started, Erdogan was Although the US State Depart- reluctant to intervene because of ment hailed the elections as a sign differences with Washington over of the “strength of Turkish democ- Syria strategy. Tol says: “After Kob- racy”, there is a concern in Wash- ani there was a sense that the AKP ington about possible political in- does not represent the Kurdish in- stability for Turkey. terests”. After Kobani, many Kurds The election produced the most switched support to the HDP. diverse parliament in Turkish his- Soner Cagaptay, director of the tory: The Kurdish Peoples’ Demo- Turkish research programme at the cratic Party (HDP) captured 13% of Washington Institute for Near East the vote; women won 97 seats in Policy, noted the alliance between parliament, the same percentage Kurds and non-Kurdish liberals in of women as in the US Congress; HDP. “The future of the Kurdish Armenians won three seats; Yazidis movement,” he said, “is tied to the two; and Assyrians and the Roma future of liberal democratic Turkey. one seat each. “This is the beginning of a liberal tide in Turkey.” There is a consensus This alliance of the Kurds and lib- in policy circles the erals is expected to insist on a for- “aggressive Turkish eign policy closer to that of the Unit- ed States, especially on Syria. Alan Questions about Turkey policy on Syria” will Makovsky of the Center for Ameri- change can Progress said that the HDP, like the United States, views the Islamic Turkey’s relations with Washing- circles that a more “realistic Turk- The constitution gives parliament The elections were a blow to Er- State (ISIS) and not Assad as the big- ton have been tense, and the two ish policy” will prevail in Ankara 45 days to form a government. If dogan and his Justice and Develop- ger problem. capitals have been at odds on re- and the “aggressive Turkish policy there is no new government within ment Party (AKP), but the party still Soner agrees that while Turkish gional issues as well as on domestic on Syria” will change. But Tol envi- that time, Erdogan has said “a snap won 41% of the Turkish vote and, policy under Erdogan has been “ob- policy. sions no change in Turkey’s coop- election would be inevitable”. with 258 seats, is the largest single sessed by ousting Assad”, any new Recently, Erdogan was involved eration with regional powers Saudi Also, if Turkish history is any bloc in parliament. Nevertheless, government will face “closer scru- in a public war of words with The Arabia and Qatar. guide, there is little reason to be- the outcome was a clear rejection of tiny by the parliament and the me- New York Times after it published lieve that any coalition government Erdogan’s goal of changing the con- dia”. In Soner’s opinion, this scru- an editorial criticising what it saw Turkey’s relations will last long. This means the politi- stitution to increase the powers of tiny will push Turkish policy closer as his crackdown on press free- with Washington cal stability that drove the Turkish the presidency. to US policy on Syria. doms. There was a move in the US economy during the last decade Other factors contributing to the Not everyone agrees. Steven Congress to introduce a bill critical have been tense might be a thing of the past. New AKP’s losses include the slowdown Cook of the Council on Foreign Re- of Erdogan and the Turkish govern- elections could produce another in economic growth. The Turkish lations says he does not expect ma- ment over freedom of the press, but This might be a flawed reading surprise. And while Erdogan took a economic miracle ushered in by jor changes in foreign policy. Cook the Obama administration and oth- of Erdogan and his Syria policy. beating at the polls, he is not out of AKP 13 years ago has grown stag- says that Turkey will be occupied ers in Congress were able to stop The problem in Syria has become the ring. nant. Gonul Tol, a Turkish specialist with internal affairs and predicts the measure because of its potential a personal issue for the Turkish at Washington’s Middle East Insti- that Turkey is moving from a “sta- negative effect on the strained rela- president, and it is unlikely he will Amal Mudallali is a Washington tute, pointed to “fragile growth”, ble single party to something more tionship between the countries. abandon his support for the Syrian correspondent for The Arab “political instability” following unstable”. There is a consensus in policy opposition. Weekly. Turkish elections are latest defeat for the Muslim Brotherhood

Viewpoint ollowing setbacks in the Brotherhood. Later, Libyans unknown to the general public, treaties.” By making such a public Egypt, Tunisia and renounced their Brothers, plung- would have reached power, not After declaration, Erian was fulfilling the Libya, the Muslim ing the country into the chaos that empowered by the masses, but Brotherhood’s half of the deal with Brotherhood suffered consumes it today. rather by America.” 2001, the the United States. F another defeat in And now, in Turkey, the Brother- Kherbawy explains how the Brotherhood This deal with the United States Turkey’s June 7th hood suffered an electoral defeat Brotherhood obtained a fatwa, — took a explains the Brotherhood’s grab elections. in what was considered a success- religious justification — for their for power following the Arab For the past four years, Arab ful experiment in political Islam, plan, a fatwa that remains in different revolutions. It also explains their societies have ridden a political a model to be emulated by Arab circulation. path with the failure to stay in power. Simply roller coaster, but a pattern has countries, that “moderate” version In his speeches and his book West put, their approach to political Neila Sellini started to emerge: Soon after the of political Islam craved by the Fiqh al Jihad, Yusuf al-Qaradawi power was a gamble, a make-or- Muslim Brotherhood took power West. In fact, Turkey’s Brothers says it is permissible to seek the break deal. They ignored the Arab in Egypt, it was the Tunisian had simply cloaked antagonistic help of an infidel in order to reach people’s will and aspirations and Brotherhood’s turn. And even in terminology in modern linguistic the truth. The infidel in the cur- instead sought power and legiti- those countries, such as Morocco attire. They equated the process rent context is the United States macy from the West. and Jordan, which were spared of Shura with democracy, while and Europe. The Brotherhood failed be- a revolution, more power was Shura in reality empowers an oli- After 2001, the Brotherhood cause it followed the wrong path handed to local Brotherhoods. It garchic elite. They equated gender took a different path with the to power and isolated itself from appeared that the Muslim Brother- parity with “justice”, while justice West, which was now fearful of the rest of society. Its members hood and political Islam would be in Islamic jurisprudence indicates terrorism, by becoming emissaries mistakenly assumed that affairs the face of the Arab world’s future. submission to God’s will in his of peace. Kherbawy describes the of Arab states could be conducted One year later, the scales tipped creation. official Brotherhood delegation simply by referring to the Islamic again. In Egypt, General Abdel Throughout the 20th century, that initiated the dialogue with the concept of obedience to the ruler. Fattah al-Sisi engineered a widely the Muslim Brotherhood engaged United States. It was composed They did not understand how the popular end to Muhammad Mor- in a tug of war with reigning of Khairat el-Shater, whom the Arab revolutions had changed si’s inept presidency. In Tunisia’s regimes, searching for access to Americans enjoyed calling “the mentalities. They continued to elections, 1 million women took power. Former members of the Big”, and Esaam el-Erian. believe that they were the chosen to the streets to say “Enough!” to Brotherhood who have renounced In the agreement reached with few, destined to rule. the movement have offered the Americans in 2005, Kherbawy Popular reaction was loud and insights into their struggle for claims, the United States vowed to clear. That the Brotherhood is an- power. support democratic transition in gry about losing power is but a sign It is time for the West to Tarwet el-Kherbawy, in his the Arab world in exchange for the that their feet have not yet reached book The Secret of the Temple: Brotherhood’s acceptance to live the ground. It is time for the West re-evaluate its approach The Hidden Secrets of the Muslim in peace with Israel. to re-evaluate its approach to Arab Brotherhood, states: “The Muslim Two years later, Erian wrote in and Muslim nations and to engage to Arab and Muslim Brotherhood sought ways, not to the London-based newspaper Al in a real societal dialogue. nations reach freedom but to reach the Hayat, “If the Brotherhood takes power to rule the country… This power, they will recognise the Neila Sellini is a professor at the tight iron organisation, which state of Israel and they will abide College of Arts and Humanities at dissimulates in its folds secrets by all the international peace the University of Sousse, Tunisia. 12 June 19, 2015 News & Analysis Iran Top Iranian general killed in Syria

Dubai Southern Syria is one of the re- gions where Assad has faced sig- ran is repatriating the body of nificant setbacks since March. In- a top-ranking military officer surgents fighting there include the killed in April in southern al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front and I Syria, Iranian news agencies groups that profess a more secular reported. Hadi Kajbaf was at outlook and are backed by Assad’s least the second senior Iranian to Arab foes. die there in 2015 while supporting The late commander’s son, Sajad Damascus in the war. Kajbaf, told Tasnim the general’s Kajbaf, a major-general in the body was to be flown to Iran on elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards June 12th. It was not clear how Iran Corps (IRGC), was killed near the had obtained the body, which was rebel-held town of Busr al-Harir, taken by rebels when he was killed. about 100 kilometres south of Da- An unknown number of Iranian mascus, the IRGC-linked Tasnim military advisers have deployed in agency reported. Syria in support of the Syrian army Three other Iranians, including a and the militias fighting alongside mid-ranking Shia cleric, were killed it. The Iranian-backed Lebanese alongside Kajbaf, the semi-official group Hezbollah is now deployed Fars news agency reported. more widely than ever in Syria. Iranian military and financial Iranian President Hassan Rohani support has been crucial to helping recently vowed to back the Syrian President Bashar Assad survive the government “until the end of the war, now in its fifth year. road” after the battlefield setbacks The conflict is a focal point for suffered by Assad. Shia Islamist Iran’s power strug- Iran, the world’s major Shia pow- gle with Sunni Saudi Arabia, which er, justifies its intervention in Syria supports insurgents battling to top- by portraying the mostly Sunni re- ple Assad. bels as hard-line Sunni Islamist ex- Kajbaf held the highest rank tremists. Islamic State and al-Nusra used in Iran’s armed forces, mak- Front are the two most powerful ing him more senior than an IRGC insurgent groups in Syria. brigadier-general who was killed in Iran projects power in the Mid- January in an Israeli missile strike dle East by allying with regional in Syria near the Israeli-occupied proxies who follow Shia Islam or its Golan Heights, along with a num- offshoots. Assad belongs to the Ala- ber of fighters from the Lebanese wite minority, an offshoot of Shia. Iranian mourners carry the coffin of Brigadier-General Mohammad Ali Allahdadi killed in an Israeli Shia Hezbollah group. (Reuters) air strike on Syria, in January 2015 (file photo). The IRGC v Rohani: spy v spy

Ali Alfoneh haul the Intelligence Ministry, in- der the banner of velayat-e faqih Following his tenure as MOIS agents, systematically censor the famous for ruthless crackdowns [Guardianship of the Jurist]”. chief in Khorasan province, Taeb internet, engage in cyber-warfare and assassinating opponents of the More significantly, Alavi’s state- was promoted to chief of the min- and arrest dissident bloggers. Washington state, and make it more profession- ments have been enhanced by the istry’s counter-espionage depart- Apart from terrorising the broad- al and thus more acceptable to the work of Ali Younesi, a former intel- ment under the notorious Ali Fal- er public, IRGC Intelligence un- hile the United populace. ligence minister and now Rohani’s lahian, under whose authority the der Taeb is constantly seeking to States has pinned Explaining his programme in par- adviser on ethnic and religious mi- MOIS engaged in the systematic undermine Rohani’s negotiations its hopes for a ne- liament on August 15, 2013, Intelli- norities. Under Rohani, Younesi has assassination of political dissidents with the US-led world powers by W gotiated solution gence Minister Mahmoud Alavi, a emerged as the foremost proponent in Iran and abroad throughout the arresting Iranian-American jour- to the dispute over middle-ranking cleric, emphasised of tolerance towards minorities. 1980s and ’90s. nalists such as Jason Rezaian of the Tehran’s nuclear programme on his preference for “institutionalis- The noble words of Alavi and Washington Post. Iranian President Hassan Rohani’s ing durable security without secu- Younesi, which may or may not ful- IRGC Intelligence Informed sources say the IRGC government, the “shadow govern- ritising society”. The use of force, ly reflect the actual conduct of the under Taeb is group is attempting to personally ment” run by the Islamic Revo- he averred, “must always be a last MOIS, are in stark contrast to the embarrass the president by fabri- lutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) is resort”. words and deeds of Hassan Taeb, constantly seeking cating a pretext to arrest his neph- actively undermining his authority the head of the IRGC’s Intelligence to undermine ew, Esmail Samavi. Even worse, and preparing to reassert its power. Rohani, seen in the Organisation. Rohani’s Taeb’s agents indiscriminately tar- This power struggle, being West as a moderate Taeb, a 52-year-old Tehran na- get political activists who belong to played out behind the scenes in tive, was allegedly a former student negotiations with Iran’s ethnic and religious minori- Tehran, centres on the IRGC Intel- reformer, has sought of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei the US ties. ligence Organisation’s attempts to to reduce the IRGC’s before he joined the IRGC in 1982. The IRGC perceives activists de- subvert the Ministry of Intelligence political and After the MOIS was established in However, in 1995 Taeb was manding economic benefits for and Security (MOIS) and thus 1984, Taeb worked there as an in- caught “fabricating documents” the neglected regions on Iran’s weaken Rohani. economic power terrogator, primarily engaged in against the children of then presi- peripheral regions, such as Sistan- Since his election in 2013, Ro- handling captured members of the dent Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. He Baluchistan, and the Kurdish zone, hani, seen in the West as a moder- Alavi has since welcomed politi- Mujahedin-e Khalq, an Iranian op- was dismissed but was promptly to be separatists. It responds with ate reformer, has sought to reduce cal pluralism, which in spite of the position group that was armed by appointed head of coordination in heavy-handed security crack- the IRGC’s political and economic emergence of opposing ideas could Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein to Khamenei’s office, which suggests downs rather than make an effort power. One way has been to over- help administer the state “un- fight against the Islamic Republic. his anti-Rafsanjani efforts were au- to improve living conditions in ar- thorised by the supreme leader. eas distant from the capital. In July 2008, Taeb was appoint- This tactic not only exacerbates ed Basij Resistance Force chief and the conflict between the centre and achieved notoriety by overseeing periphery and creates ethnic ten- the ferocious suppression of anti- sions, it undermines attempts by government protests triggered by Rohani, Alavi and Younesi to reach the June 2009 presidential election out to ethnic and religious minori- which critics allege was rigged in ties. favour of the winner, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Intelligence Minister At the time, parliamentarian Ali Mahmoud Alavi Motahari accused Taeb of deliber- emphasised his ately escalating the crisis. Khame- nei, on the other hand, unhappy preference for with MOIS’s inability to prevent the “institutionalising unrest, appointed Taeb chief of the durable security IRGC’s Intelligence Directorate in October 2009. without securitising Simultaneously, the department society” was renamed the IRGC Intelligence Organisation, emphasising the It cannot be determined who growing rift with the MOIS. When will prevail in the struggle be- Rohani was elected, he purged the tween IRGC Intelligence and the cabinet of IRGC veterans and re- MOIS. But if it is the Revolution- placed them with former MOIS of- ary Guards, that could seriously ficials. threaten a potential agreement be- Meantime, the Taeb-led IRGC tween Tehran and the P5+1, since Intelligence Organisation intensi- an IRGC-ruled Iran will not honour fied its operations against “the se- commitments made by Rohani’s dition”, [fetneh], revolutionaries representatives. real and imagined, cybercrime and Iran’s ethnic and religious minori- Ali Alfoneh is a specialist on Iran ties. and the Islamic Revolutionary As Rohani and his cabinet ac- Guards Corps. He is a senior fellow tively use Facebook and Twitter at the Foundation for Defense of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards commander General Mohammad Ali Jafari saluting Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for propaganda purposes, Taeb’s Democracies in Washington. June 19, 2015 13 News & Analysis Israel How Mossad passed on killing Khomeini in 1979

Gareth Smyth few months later, I’d have said it’s tant Islamism. worth the risk,” Alpher said. “I’m “Today if you want to define a not saying the head of Mossad hostile ring, it’s more amorphous: London would have decided differently had first and foremost non-state actors, I offered a different opinion but it’s Hezbollah, Hamas; and now poten- wenty-three years after an incident that stays with me.” tially Daesh [Islamic State] and Jab- he left Mossad, Israel’s hat al-Nusra,” Alpher said. “There’s external intelligence arm, There’s a fluid, a fluid, revolutionary situation all one memory sometimes around us that requires us to be on T revolutionary wakes Yossi Alpher at 4 in our toes, to look at the area as a mo- the morning: What if Mossad had situation all around saic and be ready to jump from one agreed to a request in early 1979 to square to another to exploit our in- kill Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini? In power, the revolutionaries terests. “It’s impossible to answer,” Al- quickly revealed their intentions. “Further afield we find Iran and pher told The Arab Weekly. “But “We saw how they dealt with the Turkey — Iran definitely as a sup- there is a case to be made for the rest of the opposition, all the execu- porter of Hezbollah, while Turkey’s centrality of very charismatic lead- tions, and we got an appreciation of more difficult to define as part of a ers and so for the consequences of their determination,” said Alpher. hostile ring.” Facing the ring, Israel their disappearance.” “They made no bones about their has built links with Azerbaijan, Ro- Alpher relates the incident in plans to export revolution … Bakh- mania, Greece and Cyprus and has his recent book Periphery: Israel’s tiar had apparently understood all expanded trade with Russia, China Search for Middle East Allies. He this but we didn’t know Bakhtiar and India. was summoned, along with Mos- and we certainly didn’t know the sad’s Tehran representative Eliezar clergy. We just didn’t get it.” There is a case to be Shafrir, by Mossad director Yitzhak Alpher’s book surveys a “periph- made for the Hofi and told of a plea to assassinate ery doctrine” developed in 1957-58 centrality of very Khomeini from Shapour Bakhtiar, in the office of prime minister David appointed caretaker prime minister Ben-Gurion through which Israel charismatic leaders by the shah to head off revolution. found regional allies against the Shafrir’s reply was negative: If hostile “Arab core” of states led by This reflects Israel’s strength com- Khomeini, in exile in Paris, returned Egypt under Gamal Abdel Nasser. pared to the 1950s when the periph- to Iran, he’d be dealt with by the Mossad operatives like Alpher ery doctrine evolved, said Alpher: army and the shah’s security police, courted both countries and ethnic “We have more options. We no long- Savak. Alpher took a deep breath or religious minorities within them. er have our backs to the wall.” and suggested, “We simply don’t These included Ethiopia, Sudan, Alpher is downbeat about Iran. know enough about what Khomeini Morocco and Greece as well as Leb- His book has a chapter on what he stands for and what his chances are anese Maronites, Iraq’s Kurds, the calls “periphery nostalgia”, the be- to justify the risk.” south Sudanese and Berbers. lief in Israel that better relations But the “flagship” was Trident, could return either by the authori- We have more an intelligence alliance with Turkey ties in Tehran changing or being and Iran from the late 1950s. With removed. This has faded since the options. We no Iran, this lasted until the 1979 revo- 1980s when Israel sent arms during Underestimating Khomeini longer have our lution, and with Turkey until Recep the war with Iraq, although Alpher backs to the wall Tayyip Erdogan, then prime min- detects an “equivalent” today with- ister and now president, split with in the Obama administration. nuclear weapon. But what bothers each other in Tel Aviv. “We meet at Underestimating Khomeini was a Israel in 2009. “They’re saying do this nuclear me is that they tend to translate this the swimming pool,” said Alpher. failure not just of Mossad but of the The periphery doctrine waned in deal … and it will empower them to into a tolerance on the ground for “And, yes, we chat.” United States, Britain and Savak it- the 1980s with progress in peace moderate Iranian political life to the Iran’s drive for regional hegemony, self. talks with core Arab states and ap- benefit of everyone, Iranians and in Iraq, in Syria and perhaps in Yem- Gareth Smyth has covered Middle Knowing what he knows now, parently the Palestinians, before non-Iranians,” Alpher said. en.” Eastern affairs for 20 years. what advice would Alpher have of- re-emerging after 2010 in a different “I hope they succeed. I don’t ob- Perhaps it could all have been dif- He was chief correspondent for fered? guise as Israel confronted not hos- ject to having ten years without ferent. Shafrir, Mossad’s former the Financial Times in Tehran in “If the conversation had been a tile Arab states but strains of mili- having to worry about an Iranian man in Tehran, and Alpher live near 2003-07. The other Army of God: Israel’s Orthodox infiltrate military

Ed Blanche worldview, something that could had to accept Eizenkot because the dox and seen by some as his suc- and mid-level managers therefore have dangerous consequences in a generals warned the prime minis- cessor. see this as a model to emulate.” region undergoing potentially cata- ter he faced “an earthquake” with- Security expert Richard Silver- The head of the foreign intel- Beirut clysmic changes. in the army if the popular com- stein says the leadership of Isra- ligence service, the Mossad, is a “This is no longer Israel,” histori- mander of the elite Givati Brigade el’s security agencies “are, almost secular Jew, Tamir Pardo. He’s in ajor-General Gadi Ei- an Benny Morris lamented recent- was not appointed. without exception, Orthodox na- the fifth year of an extended term zenkot, the creator ly. “A profound internal, existential Had Naveh become the first Or- tionalists. In some cases they’ve and is expected to step down in the of the so-called Da- crisis has arrived.” thodox chief of staff, that would been settlers themselves.” next few months, largely because M hiya doctrine, which Left unchecked, the steady Or- have meant two of the three top Amir Oren, an influential col- he doesn’t get along with Netan- espouses indiscrimi- thodox infiltration of the military, security posts in Israel were held umnist and security specialist with yahu. nate attacks on Lebanese civilians rank-and-file as well as the officer by Orthodox Jews, the other be- the liberal Israeli daily Haaretz, ob- The leading candidate to replace aimed at deterring Hezbollah, was corps and especially elite combat ing Yoram Cohen, director of the served: “The situation in Shin Bet him is another Orthodox, Yossi sworn in as chief of the general units, may well ensure that no Is- General Security Service, known as …is worst of all, with three out its Cohen, a 30-year Mossad veteran staff of Israel’s armed forces on raeli political leader will ever be Shin Bet. four senior officials coming from a who once ran spies across the Mid- February 16th. able to return to the Palestinians Political insiders say Cohen got religious background and radiating dle East. He served as national se- That was the good news. In the land conquered in 1967, and the job because of intense pressure sympathy for a worldview that op- curity adviser to Netanyahu, who the run-up to the selection of the that more wars over Palestine lie from the ultra-right religious set- poses diplomatic compromise that appointed him head of Israel’s Na- Jewish state’s top soldier, politi- ahead. tler movement, which refuses to would involve the evacuation of tional Security Council in 2013. cal insiders said that Israeli Prime Naveh became deputy chief of surrender the West Bank. settlements. Much of the army’s officer corps Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, a staff in October 2010, the first Or- Cohen’s chief of staff, Roni “Shin Bet’s leaders are recruiting — up to 50% by some estimates — right-wing hardliner, favoured a thodox Jew to reach the military’s Alsheikh, is also fervently Ortho- and promoting in their own image consists of men from hard-line reli- former deputy chief of staff, retired top echelon. He’s identified with gious groups. Major-General Yair Naveh. the political right. Like Netanyahu, Some army units, including key it advocates strong military action combat units in West Bank settle- Much of the against Iran’s nuclear programme, ments, are almost entirely made up army’s officer corps a strategy that has put Netanyahu of religious soldiers. at odds with his military and intel- With young secular Israelis less consists of men from ligence chiefs, as well as the United inclined to do military service, reli- hard-line religious States. gious-nationalist schools are send- groups In 2006, when Naveh was head ing growing numbers of young peo- of the Central Command, which ple into the military. Many answer Naveh, an Orthodox Jew, may covers the occupied West Bank, to extremist rabbis. not have become chief of staff, he was challenged by junior offic- In 2009, the liberal Haaretz daily the commander who determines ers over an assassination order he reported that the army rabbinate the fighting efficiency of Israel’s issued that they said violated Su- under its radical chief, General military — the most powerful in the preme Court guidelines. Avichai Rontzki, a hard-line settler Middle East. But his fellow Ortho- In early 2011, the court ruled that with links to far-right extremists, dox are systematically taking com- Naveh was unfit to lead the army, had effectively taken over the role mand positions throughout the even temporarily, when it was pro- of the military’s Education Corps. military and intelligence services, posed he take over as interim chief The Orthodox right’s influence which since 1948 have largely been of staff after a scandal-plagued in the military has reached such dominated by the secular Labour- contest eliminated the main con- proportions that Israelis fear this leaning kibbutz generation. tenders. deepening national split imperils Indeed, the developments reflect When the next change of com- the Jewish state itself, particularly the extent to which the right wing mand came in November, Netan- if soldiers refuse orders to remove has eclipsed the Labour-led left, yahu, who’s not supposed to be Israeli soldiers of the Jewish Ultra-Orthodox battalion “Netzah settlements to make way for a Pal- changing the face of Israel and its involved in such military matters, Yehuda” hold morning prayers. estinian state. 14 June 19, 2015 News & Analysis Fighting ISIS

Jordan introduces historic flag in defiance of ISIS

Jamal J. Halaby

Amman

n a surprise move, Jordan’s King Abdullah II introduced a historic flag to convey Islam’s I message of tolerance and coun- ter claims by the Islamic State (ISIS) that its brand of militant Islam is alien to the religion. A moderate Arab leader whose nation maintains close ties with the United States and is one of two Arab nations to have a signed peace treaty with Israel, Abdullah has de- clared war on ISIS. The monarch is a participant in a US-led coalition, which is strik- ing at ISIS strongholds in Iraq and Syria. One of his Royal Jordanian Air Force pilots, Lieutenant Muath al- Kasasbeh, was captured by ISIS on December 24th and burned alive in a cage on January 4th in a gruesome crime that sent chills across Jordan. The banner was first hoisted in 1515 and raised again in 1920

Once ISIS released video of the killing, Abdullah ordered additional attacks on the militant group, nam- ing the operation “Muath the Mar- tyr”. ISIS threatened the king with death and said it would topple the Flag of defiance Hashemite crown. Most significant about the new standard is its clear defiance of ISIS fined manners and coexistence”. With its original dark red pattern, Additionally, the flag has the yeh upside down, which in tribal militants, who have set up a self- It said the message was “in the the banner was first hoisted in 1515 Basmala, which is the phrase “in Bedouin tradition signals plans declared caliphate in parts of Iraq face of those Khawarij (violent dis- and raised again in 1920 as a Hash- the name of Allah, Most Compas- to avenge the pilot’s slaying by and Syria and adopted a black Is- sidents from the community), who emite prince led his soldiers to the sionate, Most Merciful” and is the ISIS. Before the king’s arrival, the lamic flag with religious words and falsely claim they are defending Is- southern Jordanian city of Maan first verse of the Quran. A seven- flag was displayed in the courtyard symbols, including the Prophet’s lam, while Islam condemns them”. during the Great Arab Revolt. head-star on the flag’s right side is on one of the oldest military vehi- stamp. Abdullah’s royal Hashemite The Hashemite flag’s colours The flag was used as the revolt’s an Islamic art symbol that refers to cles used during the Great Arab family claims ancestry to Islam’s and motifs combine elements of official emblem under the leader- the first chapter of the Quran. Revolt and the two world wars. Prophet Mohammad. history, legitimacy, religion and ship of Abdullah’s great-grandfa- The flag was introduced at a The vehicle was escorted on both Abdullah’s Royal Hashemite Arabism found in the Hashemite ther, Sharif Hussein Bin Ali, until a national celebration on June 9th, sides by camel army riders as Air Court said in a statement, which family and the Great Arab Revolt of new one was adopted years later. commemorating Abdullah’s 16th Force jets flew overhead. implicitly referred to ISIS, that the 1916 launched by Abdullah’s great- Religious symbols on the flag coronation anniversary and Army Jordanian flag “conveys a message grandfather to end the Ottoman include an inscription of the Sha- Day. Jamal J. Halaby is the Levant to the nation, the generations and rule in the region. hadatain, Arabic for the two Islamic In the celebration at the Hus- section editor for The Arab the entire humanity of all its reli- The Royal Court’s statement said testimonies that there is no “God seiniyeh Palace in the suburbs of Weekly. He has covered the gions and identities, a message of the flag has been the banner of the but Allah” and “Mohammad is His Amman, three army soldiers wore Middle East and North Africa for peace, love, tolerance, justice, re- Hashemite family for centuries. Messenger”. red-and-white chequered kaffi- nearly three decades. Suicide bombers are ISIS ‘shock and awe’

James Bruce Other key targets, including the State Department official observed. prestige, have complained on social fact that the Americans are airlift- government compound, were pul- High-quality ISIS videos of the media that volunteers from Gulf ing 2,000 AT-4 anti-tank missiles verised in the unprecedented and bombings show massive explosions states are using wealth and influ- to Abadi’s forces to counter what is Beirut meticulously planned suicide op- visible for miles. ence to bribe their way to the top of now the jihadists’ most fearsome eration. The garrison of Iraqi Army These days, ISIS is carrying out the waiting list, while senior mili- tactical weapon. slamic State (ISIS) forces who soldiers and police, who had been suicide or car bombings in Baghdad tants favour friends and relatives. The AT-4s will provide invalu- stormed the strategic Iraqi city fighting almost continuously for almost daily. That could be to pin able firepower for the govern- of Ramadi in May were spear- 18 months with little support from down large military forces around ISIS is carrying out ment’s planned counteroffensive to I headed by a wave of as many Baghdad, were left reeling and dis- the Shia-dominated capital but also suicide or car recapture Ramadi, Mosul — Iraq’s as 30 suicide bombers who car- organised. to spread terror and panic to dem- second largest city taken by ISIS in ried out coordinated attacks against There were more suicide bomb- onstrate that the government of bombings in June 2014 — and other towns across key fortifications and command ings in the three days of street bat- Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is Baghdad almost Anbar province, the main battle- centres — ISIS’s deadly version of tles that followed. These were pri- powerless to protect them. daily ground. the US “shock and awe” bombing marily to block Iraqi government By all accounts, ISIS has scores However, it is clear that ISIS, campaign that helped topple dicta- reinforcements from entering the of volunteers ready to blow them- which in June 2014 proclaimed an tor Iraqi Saddam Hussein in 2003. city. selves to kingdom come. Indeed, Many of these zealots are from Islamic caliphate spanning north- The suicide bombers, some driv- In the end, the garrison survi- there appear to be so many that Europe and Asia. ISIS identified eastern Syria and western Iraq — an ing captured US armoured vehicles vors, including troops of the elite, some ISIS members complain of the lead bomber in the Ramadi on- area the size of Britain — has devel- and Humvees, and even a dump US-trained Special Operations force nepotism in choosing men for sui- slaught as 20-year-old Londoner oped a fighting force of highly mo- truck protected by makeshift weld- known as the Golden Division, fled. cide missions. Fatlum Shalaku, who used the nom tivated volunteers led by capable, ed-on armour, turned into mobile ISIS’s suicide cadres, including Some volunteers or their fami- de guerre Abu Musa al-Britani. innovative commanders. bombs, impervious to small arms Sunni volunteers from Europe and lies, for whom having sons killed The alarm that ISIS’s truck bombs “ISIS fights like a state… It fields fire and rocket-propelled grenades, Asia as well as the Arab world, have on suicide operations brings great are causing can be gauged by the more than 25,000 fighters, includ- were able to penetrate the city’s de- become the organisation’s shock ing a hard core of ex-Ba’athist pro- fences after an armoured bulldozer troops that give it the offensive fessionals and al-Qaeda veterans,” smashed a hole through concrete punch of long-range artillery or air observed David Kilcullen, an Aus- barricades erected during fighting strikes. tralian who played a key role in the that began in January 2014. US officials said that at least ten US-led defeat of ISIS’s predecessor, of the vehicle-borne bombs were al-Qaeda in Iraq in 2006-07. Some ISIS members comparable in destructive power to “It has a hierarchical unit organi- the Oklahoma City truck bombing sation and rank structure, popu- complain of of April 19, 1995, the worst terrorist lated by former regular officers nepotism in atrocity in the United States until of Saddam Hussein’s military,” he choosing men for the carnage of al-Qaeda’s Septem- wrote in Australia’s Quarterly Es- ber 11, 2001, suicide attacks. say. “In its cohesion and purpose… suicide missions The Oklahoma attack, carried out it is now seen by some — particular- by US anti-government extremists, ly Iraq’s minority Sunnis — as more Three of the bombers rammed killed 168 people and wounded an- of a state than the Iraqi government vehicles into the multi-storey An- other 680. A truck bomb contain- it is fighting.” bar Operations Command, the ing an estimated 7,000 pounds of province’s military command cen- explosives, including ammonium James Bruce has written tre, blowing it apart. Another target nitrate and liquid nitromethane, extensively on Middle East security was the police headquarters in the destroyed or damaged 324 build- issues for publications such as southern Malaab district. The com- ings in a 16-block radius. Jane’s Intelligence Review and mander, Colonel Muthana al-Jabri, The Ramadi bombings took out Jane’s Defence Weekly. He lives in was among ten killed there. “whole city blocks”, a senior US Car bomb site in Baghdad. Beirut. June 19, 2015 15 News & Analysis East West Clock is ticking on nuclear talks with Iran

Gareth Smyth 2002 to 2006. part to an approach the Iranians Iranian politicians or diplomats tended to follow: “In discussion, “often speak of external enemies Iranian representatives are dogged Berlin as a way of fostering internal uni- and determined — although they ty”, he said. “There is usually lively can also change their line frequent- diplomat directly argument [in Tehran] among the ly and not necessarily consistently. involved in the nu- factions and the personalities in They can be economical with the clear talks with Iran the leadership, and it takes time to truth, to put it politely.” A said they were “very resolve them. Hence the need for intense, both in the patience and a thick skin.” Any extension would political and the technical discus- European diplomats well re- sions”. member Hassan Rohani, now Iran’s give more time and Negotiators face a June 30th president but in 2003-05 its lead more ammunition to deadline for agreeing to details — nuclear negotiator as secretary the talks’ opponents and means for implementation — of the Supreme National Security on both sides of the interim Lausanne agreement Council, taking time out for phone reached in early April. calls at delicate points during talks Paul von Maltzahn, Germany’s at Sadabad palace in north Teh- Despite, or perhaps because of, ambassador in Tehran from 2003- ran. Everyone knew he was call- their experience in Tehran both 06 and now retired from the diplo- ing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali von Maltzahn and Dalton express matic service, advised patience. Khamenei seeking direction. cautious optimism in regard to the “They should not stick too much But the Europeans also recall Ira- current talks. In contrast to 2003- to timetables,” he said. “If June nian diplomats sometimes floating 05, the United States is not only 30th doesn’t work, then go on. This proposals without making clear if directly involved but has agreed is important enough.” they were hypothetical, much less to accept in principle that Iran can Von Maltzahn conceded that any if they had the backing of the lead- continue some uranium enrich- extension would give more time er. Von Maltzahn remembers infor- ment. and more ammunition to the talks’ mal meetings with Hossein Mousa- It is France that is taking the opponents on both sides. “I’m vian, who played a prominent role toughest approach, especially in speaking of one week, two weeks, on the Iranian team, effectively as demanding access for the Inter- not a long time,” he stressed, “be- Rohani’s deputy. national Atomic Energy Agency cause then, of course, the process “Mousavian flew kites, trying to military sites and that Iran give unravels.” out ideas,” said von Maltzahn. “He more thorough explanations of al- came to the residence [of the Ger- leged past research. Iranian man ambassador in Tehran] a few “France wants to rake up the representatives can times.” past, especially the PMD (possible Some diplomats saw such kite- military dimensions),” said von be economical with flying as a deliberate effort to Maltzahn. the truth confuse and were especially sus- While Iran’s official line, strongly picious when Iranian negotiators expressed by Khamenei, is that Those with experience in negoti- warned time was running out for allowing access to military sites ating with Iran — such as von Malt- a deal because they were under would cross its “red lines”, von zahn, who was in Tehran during growing pressure from their own Maltzahn believes Rohani in 2003- EU representative Helga Schmid (L) and Iran’s Abbas Araghchi at the 2003-05 nuclear talks with the hardliners. 05 indicated the issue was not en- the P5+1 powers and Iran talks in Vienna. European Union — are well aware This was never an easy judgment tirely closed. of the challenges of diplomacy for the Europeans. Indeed, just as “Rohani regarded this as a play- with the Islamic Republic. the Iranians had warned, the talks’ ing card, something that might to work, all sides must be able to “With the decline or disappear- First, there is Iranian domestic failure and the 2005 election of be played at some stage,” he said. claim a victory. For von Maltzahn, ance of Iraq, and with Egypt’s lack politics. “A revolutionary country, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as presi- “The big thing for Iran is really Tehran’s thinking is not only ra- of a regional role, de facto Iran is its diplomats and negotiators, can dent led to the removal of both Ro- ‘non-discrimination’, so they’re tional but points towards an agree- the most powerful nation in the be outflanked by radicals claiming hani and Mousavian as negotiators not treated differently to anyone ment. “Iran has come to conclude area. They don’t need nuclear to be the true exponents of nation- and even, briefly, to Mousavian’s else.” that the nuclear option is not nec- parity with Israel, and in any case al values,” said Sir Richard Dalton, arrest in 2007. This is a matter of presentation essary for them to have more pow- it’s far too costly. So why go that British ambassador to Iran from Dalton traces the confusion in as well as substance. For the talks er projected in the area,” he said. way?” Interview Tunisian-French imam says tolerant Islam should be defended by ‘acts on the ground’

Houda Ferjani Chalghoumi says the attacks on centre for training imams and an- the Charlie Hebdo magazine offices other for teaching civilisations and the kosher grocery store in Par- where the true Islam is preached Paris is in January heightened tensions and the distorted ideas about Islam between religious communities are repudiated so that non-Muslims assen Chalghoumi is in France. But, he says, “The will come to know that those who kill no ordinary imam. The for dialogue was not affected and have nothing to do with Islam.” Tunisian-born religious the French social fabric remains as Chalghoumi defends attending preacher has stirred strong as ever in spite of the rise of the Jewish pilgrimage to the Tu- H controversies over his the extreme right. nisian island of Djerba, last April. close relations with France’s Jew- “We should not be intimidated “The Jewish synagogue has been ish community and visits to Israel, and should continue to talk to each there for more than 14 centuries, a and is outspoken about the need for other and not give up.” testimony that Islam is a tolerant Muslims to face the threats posed The imam said he is very much religion and that respect for the by religious extremists. aware of the problem of jihadist minorities is in its core contrary to “It is high time the Arab world radicalisation of Muslim youth in what some of the misguided groups awakes up and starts to fight terror- Europe. He sees education as cru- like ISIS and others are doing.” ism,” he says. cial to protecting young Muslims. The 43-year-old imam of the “Six-thousand Muslim citizens of Why don’t we Drancy mosque in Seine-Saint-Den- Europe had gone to Syria and Iraq. rebuild the churches is, near Paris, advocates an assertive The most important thing we can do posture in promoting a tolerant Is- to these people is to try to change that ISIS had lam. their way of thinking through com- destroyed? “We can correct this unbecoming others for our misfortunes,” he said. their responsibility in rescuing mi- municating with them with a view image of Islam through acts on the Chalghoumi says time has come grants trying to cross the Mediter- to educating them,” he says. He is, however, critical of Israeli ground, through strong messages for action on many fronts. “Take ranean. “Europe has contributed its He also wants Muslim families in Prime Minister Binyamin Netan- and strong relationships that assert the example of the African migrants share when it contributed billions of Europe to do their part. “We must yahu, who warned against Jews tak- the desire for coexistence and pri- who die in the sea. euros, and it is time the Arabs and start a dialogue in every house in- ing part in the pilgrimage because oritise the humanity of mankind,” Muslims shoulder their responsi- volving every member of the fam- of terror threats. “Some people, Chalghoumi said in an interview. Why don’t we do like bilities,” Chalghoumi said. ily,” he says. Chalghoumi says he is like Netanyahu, promote a policy of He sees the power exerted by the the Europeans and The Tunisian-French imam also doing his part to curtail extremism. spreading fear,” he said. narrative of extremists as emanat- send ships to help calls for tangible initiatives in sup- “Very soon,” he said, “we are go- Chalghoumi sees the fates of re- ing from the passivity of most Mus- port of religious minorities perse- ing to start a campaign that we shall ligious minorities in the Arab world lims. the migrants? cuted by jihadists in the Middle call ‘the campaign of mercy against and the West as intertwined. “The reason is that the Muslims East. terrorism’ involving religious lead- “I told the pope in 2013 that if you in their majority, though innocent Why don’t we do like the Europe- “Why don’t we rebuild the ers from Tunisia and Egypt dur- leave the Christians of the Orient of what is being done in their name, ans and send ships to help the mi- churches that ISIS (the Islamic ing which we shall visit as many unprotected you will be doing the keep silent about it. They must grants?” he asks. “I wish that one or State) had destroyed?” he asks not- mosques as possible.” same to the Muslims of Europe,” he come out and condemn those who, two Arab ships sail to the Mediter- ing in contrast the freedom of wor- Chalghoumi, who in 2009 found- said. in their names, are killing human- ranean carrying a message of peace, ship enjoyed by Muslims in the ed the France-based organisation ity; we have had enough of the con- which is something easy to do.” West. “In France, we have more the Conference of Imams, says he Houda Ferjani is an Arab Weekly spiracy theories, enough of blaming He says Europeans have assumed than 2,300 mosques.” looks forward “to establishing a correspondent in Paris. 16 June 19, 2015 Economy

Bahrain strives for higher economic growth

Gamil Lotfy which is 3.5% less than the previ- ous year. The government’s budg- eted spending for capital expendi- Manama ture, which is based on an oil price of $60 per barrel, is 21% lower than he 2011 protests stirred in 2014. by the “Arab spring” con- Consequently, it came as no sur- tinue to affect Bahrain’s prise when US rating agency Stand- Teconomy. Although many ard & Poor’s (S&P) downgraded the of the kingdom’s majority country’s sovereign wealth fund, Shia community still feel marginal- Mumtalakat, rating to BBB-/A-3 ised, much of the violence and in- from BBB/A-2. Mumtalakat was stability of the past four years has placed on negative outlook in De- come to a slow halt. cember 2014 by S&P, reflecting the However, the struggling and oil- reliance the fund has on the gov- dependent economy suffered an ernment when financial support is additional blow in mid-2014 with needed. the dramatic fall in hydrocarbon prices. This triggered new econom- ic challenges that the government Bahrain’s debt was is adamant on tackling head-on. The Bahraini government said it aims to push the private sector 43.4% to drive much-needed growth but the country’s economy remains of gross domestic extremely dependent on support product (GDP) in from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) funds, particularly from 2014 Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. However, the spin from Bahrain The main challenge facing Bah- has been positive. Analysts and rain is the ability to curb public government official said fiscal and spending while raising revenues to macro-economic policies mov- prevent the deficit swelling out of ing forward will push the private control. To achieve this, the 2015- sector to contribute to diversifica- Central Bank of Bahrain in Manama. Balancing the budget. 16 budget outlines $2 billion for tion of the economy and stimulate subsidies in 2015 and $1.7 billion in growth. 2016, a significant reduction from “The expectation is that pub- business to compensate for the re- Dhabi and a new causeway is be- lative financial transactions or fi- $2.5 billion in 2014. Bahrain’s budg- lic spending will have to be lim- duction in government capital ex- ing built through financing from nancial engineering.” et also reflects a 61% year-on-year ited in 2015,” Reda Faraj, a Bahraini penditure. Riyadh. There have also been at- In its latest report, international increase in budgeted debt in 2015 member of parliament and Shura Jarmo Kotilaine, chief econo- tempts by Bahrain at boosting the ratings agency Fitch downgraded despite reduced capital spending. Council member, said. “The island mist at the country’s Economic country’s financial services with an Bahrain’s long-term foreign cur- nation needs hospitality, manufac- Development Board, said increas- emphasis on Islamic finance. rency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) to Total revenues are turing and construction projects ing private investment, foreign di- “BBB minus” from “BBB” and long- expected to reach to accelerate in order to drive eco- rect investment and funding from The main challenge term local currency IDR to “BBB” nomic growth to compensate for the GCC Development Fund will facing Bahrain is the from “BBB plus”. $5.3 billion, 25% a slowdown in hydrocarbons GDP help finance new infrastructure The report also highlighted that lower than 2014 expansion.” schemes, filling the gaps left by ability to curb public the emergence of sizeable fiscal Although a report published by government cuts. spending deficits has led to a rapid rise in In 2013, oil and gas sales ac- Bahrain’s Economic Development For the rest of 2015, foreign fund- the general government debt bur- counted for more than 88% of Board (EDB) in March said there ing and the private sector are ex- “Islamic finance can play a cen- den, which reached 45.1% of GDP government revenues. At the end are $22 billion worth of infrastruc- pected to help the construction tral role in creating an alternative, in 2014. Fitch forecasts the govern- of the third quarter of 2014, Bah- ture schemes in the pipeline, Faraj industry overcome any drops in more resilient economic and finan- ment debt will continue climbing, rain’s debt stood at 43.4% of gross says the government cannot afford government capital expenditure cial system,” Rasheed Mohammed reaching 54.2% of GDP in 2015 and domestic product (GDP), compared to launch new projects in 2015. due to lower oil prices. al-Maraj, governor of the Central 58.6% of GDP in 2016 on current with 25.2% in 2010. Following the partnership be- The Ministry of Finance also Bank of Bahrain, told delegates policy settings. Total revenues are expected to tween the government and the confirmed that an average of $10 at the Global Islamic Investment reach $5.3 billion, 25% lower than private sector to develop a major million a year from GCC funds will Gateway conference in Bahrain on Gamil Lotfy is Dubai-based 2014 and the lowest projected since public housing scheme in 2013, be spent on road projects over the March 3rd. “The core of Islamic business and geo-politics 2010. Total budgeted expenditures analysts have said Manama will next seven years. The development finance is based on real economy journalist working across the are expected to reach $9 billion, be forced to look towards private of the new airport is funded by Abu transactions, rather than on specu- region. Interview ESCWA’s Dardari sees customs union as ‘realistic objective’

Yassine Halila talked to the League of Arab States, The goals of an Arab common and not so positive results”. rity problems, talking about and and we proposed another date by market; the elimination of trade Dardari explained that “positive solving their problems together,” he which we should finish all the stud- restrictions and quotas, as well as results came to countries who ful- said. Tunis ies, simulations and scenarios, as restrictions on residence, employ- filled the conditions of the free trade The North African region’s se- well as the impact of each scenario ment, labour and transportation, agreement”, warning that “coun- curity concerns might have been he creation of an Arab cus- on growth, poverty and sectorial seem improbable to realise when tries that did not, countries that a blessing in disguise for the three tomstoms ununionion iiss iinchingnching cclos-los- comcompetitiveness.”petitiveness.” consideringconsidering thatthat currentcurrent iintra-Arabntra-Arab imposedimpose NTBs (non-tariff barriers) Maghrebi neighbours, forcing them er to reareality,lity, says AAbdallahbdallah trade rarely exceeds 10% ofof Arab and longlo lists of products exempted to cooperate. “The region, in light of Tal-Dardari, dedeputyputy execuexecu-- countries’ total volume of foreiforeigngn from freef trade, suffered most and the security situation, has realised tivetive secretarsecretaryy ooff the UN trade.trade. did notno benefit”. that cross-border cooperation is a EcEconomiconomic and SSocialocial CCommissionommission DDardari’sardari’s beliefbelief in the project is must and that integration is a must.” for Western Asia ((ESCWA).ESCWA). unshaken. He says he is encouraged Implementation of Dardari said. “They have learnt the “Implementation ofof the customs by the experience ofof the Greater the customs union is lesson in a hard way.” uunionnion is supposedsupposed to start bbyy 2021,” Arab Free Trade Area, which he sasaysys supposed to start by However, he warned that “secu- Dardari said in a recent Arab WeeklWeeklyy has seen “some positivepositive results rity is a short-term thing, and it can interview. “It is a very rearealisticlistic oob-b- 2021 only be sustained by economic and jjective.”ective.” social integration”. Announced in 2009 during The ESCWA official sees the Arab Dardari is unequivocal, “We be- the ArabArab Summit forfor EcEconomiconomic customscustom union as “the logical next lieve the next phase or the paradigm and Social DeveloDevelopmentpment in KuKu-- stepstep iinn the liberalisation of trade” shift of Arab development in the waitwait,, the Arab customs union and thatth the political will exists. future will only be based on integra- was slated to start ooperationsperations “There“There was a political decision by tion.” When asked whether other tthishis yearyear.. thethe ArabAr summit to move ahead aspects, other than the Maghrebi “That was not realisticrealistic,”,” adad-- with this,”th noted Dardari. Tunis-Algerian-Libyan alliance, mittemittedd DarDardari.dari. “We He aand his organisation are seeing could emerge and take the lead, thatthat thisth vision is brought to com- Dardari said: “Any subregion in the pletion.pletion “We at ESCWA are support- Arab world could become a pole. inging thethe Arab states in implementing You have regional poles like the thethe technicalte aspects of the Arab Machreq, Maghreb or the Gulf, but customscustom union,” Dardari said. we also have sectorial poles, which He said the economic forum he are regional value chains: pharma- atteattendedn in Tunis in June, a high- ceutical, petrochemical industries, levellev conference gathering pub- electronics and such industries that licli officials and representatives can be cross-border and cross-re- of the Algerian, Tunisian and gional poles. Libyan private sectors, was “I believe that ‘business as usual’ a step towards integration. can no longer work.” “I am so happy today to see three regional coun- Yassine Halila is an Arab Weekly tries, despite all the secu- contributor in Tunis. June 19, 2015 17 Economy

Despite oil slump, Briefs

GCC construction set Saudi Arabia opens to break records stock market to foreign investors Mohammed Alkhereiji Arabia’s multi-billion-dollar infra- structure spending programme is Saudi Arabia’s stock market, val- driving the bulk of demand in the ued at $585 billion, opened to direct London GCC. The kingdom has the second foreign investment for the first time largest market share, after the UAE, on June 15th as the kingdom seeks he year is shaping up to in the overall MENA cement indus- an economic boost amid low global be a record-breaker for try. Algeria has launched a number oil prices. construction in the six of major housing and railway pro- The opening of the Tadawul Saudi TGulf Cooperation Coun- jects, which will also increase de- Stock Exchange allows companies cil (GCC) countries, with mand for concrete and cement. to raise money straight from foreign planned and active projects esti- investors with the goal of expanding mated to reach $172 billion, accord- Dubai International business, diversify the Saudi econo- ing to a new study. Airport expansion is my and create jobs. A report by Deloitte highlighted budgeted at $32 The move comes at a crucial time mega-projects in development in for Saudi Arabia, whose revenues the region, such as Saudi Arabia’s billion suffered from a plunge in oil prices. Riyadh East Sub-Centre, a mixed- Lower revenue could constrain gov- use commercial, retail and resi- In Qatar, the report reveals that ernment spending, which would af- dential high-density development the two largest projects in the pre- fect the many companies relying on worth $15 billion. The second larg- execution phase and expected to government projects. The kingdom est project in the kingdom is the be awarded in 2015 are from QRail. has been drawing from its robust Khozam Development, which will The QIRP: Passenger & Freight Rail foreign reserves to maintain spend- be south-east of Jeddah and is pro- is budgeted at $15 billion and QIRP’s ing. jected to be worth $13.3 billion. Passenger & Freight Rail: Phase 2 is An influx of foreign money could The biggest GCC project in the expected to cost $3 billion. “help to plug some of the external works though is Dubai World Cen- A total of 400 kilometres of shortfall and slow the pace at which tral’s Al Maktoum International Air- mainline rail connecting Qatar to Saudi Arabia is drawing down its port expansion, which is budgeted neighbouring countries and 260 reserves,” says the London-based at $32 billion and will result in the kilometres of metro and light rail analysis firm Capital Economics. airport becoming the world’s larg- are planned, most of which is to be John Sfakiankis, Middle East di- est. The second largest UAE project completed before the 2022 World rector based in Riyadh at emerging is Abu Dhabi’s Al Gharbia Chemi- Cup. markets investment firm Ashmore cals Industrial City, which is a joint In Oman, the largest project in Group, says he expects a gradual venture between the Abu Dhabi pre-execution phase is the sultan- flow of foreign investments over the National Chemicals Company and ate’s ambitious railway project. next few years of $20 billion to $25 the International Petroleum Invest- Oman Rail – Oman National Railway Construction in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. billion. ment Company. It has a budget of is to be 2,135 kilometres in length (The Associated Press) $20 billion. and is budgeted at $15.6 billion. The railway is to be executed in nine grow from 350 million to 602 mil- mixed-use developments, totalling In Saudi Arabia 4 segments and completed by 2022. lion by 2050, all driving GCC strat- an anticipated budget value of $1.1 OPEC stays upbeat million jobs will be The report emphasised the GCC’s egies to provide education, health trillion,” a summary of the Deloitte dependency on oil reserves and the care, infrastructure and support to report stated. on 2015 oil demand needed in the next need to spend on infrastructure communities. The IMF warned in May that, due five years and capital projects to achieve eco- “And of course all this growth will to the global oil-price slump, GCC OPEC is sticking to its forecast nomic diversification. In terms of require energy and water: a 34% in- oil exporters must diversify their that oil demand will pick up in 2015 According to the Deloitte report: key drivers for diversification, the crease in electricity generation ca- economies while also scaling back but warned that oversupply may “This is all against a backdrop of report underlined the need for job pacity and a further 2.2 billion litres public spending, including subsi- keep a ceiling on oil prices, even as it lower oil prices, continuing po- creation given that more than half desalination capacity is required by dies. In terms of growth, estimates increased output to a two-year high. litical unrest and reduced Interna- of the GCC population is under the 2020,” Deloitte said. for GCC states are forecast at 3.4% The Organisation of the Petroleum tional Monetary Fund (IMF) growth age of 25. “Out of the total $2.8 trillion for 2015, which the IMF revised Exporting Countries (OPEC) kept to forecasts across the GCC. It is also The report forecast that in Saudi projects that are in execution and downward 1 percentage point since its prediction of total oil demand in impacted by the deepening reces- Arabia 4 million jobs will be need- pre-execution phases, 40% of this October 2014 because of the slow- 2015 of 92.5 million barrels per day sion in Russia.” ed in the next five years. The GCC value relates to residential, lei- down in non-oil growth in response (mbpd), up 1.18 mbpd from 2014. The report revealed that Saudi overall population is forecast to sure and hospitality buildings and to lower oil prices. Consumption is expected to pick up in line with a global economic rebound, the cartel said in its June monthly report. Oil prices rose to Jordan’s ICT sector faces critical challenges more than $60 a barrel in May, a high for the year, on the back of higher demand and other factors including Mohammad Ghazal focused on communications, me- to retain their talented employees,” “Companies in the field need to “geopolitical turmoil”. dia, technology and financial mar- Shamlawi told The Arab Weekly. Ad- import tools, software and devices However, OPEC said “overall fun- kets throughout the Arab region. ditionally, the standards of fresh ICT but there are always customs delays damentals still point to a well-sup- Amman The ICT sector, which employs graduates from Jordanian universi- to clear their shipments,” he said. plied market that continues to put a more than 80,000 people, mostly ties is below the industry’s require- “This is a problem as one cannot ceiling on prices.” ordan enjoys a vibrant infor- Jordanians of whom 30% are wom- ments and is undermining efforts be creative in an environment with Oil prices collapsed 60% between mation and communication en, witnessed a decline in its contri- to replace skilled professionals who complicated procedures.” June 2014 and January 2015 when technologies (ICT) sector bution to the economy. leave for higher salaries, he said. Another problem is when ICT they hit a low of $45. Jwith many success stories but The sector’s share of gross do- companies opt to hire profession- OPEC, which has traditionally emigrating professionals and mestic product (GDP) dropped from ICT sector share of GDP als from abroad; labour authorities defended price levels by cutting a shortage of skilled graduates are 14% in 2009 to 12.9% in 2010; 12.4% make it almost impossible to obtain output, dramatically switched strat- likely to weaken it. in 2011; 12.2% in 2012; 11.2% in 2013 work permits, asking the compa- egy last November when it opted to Regionally, Jordan’s ICT sector and went down further in 2014 but nies to look for help in the domestic leave production targets unchanged faces tough competition from oth- no figures are available, according to 2010 12.9% workforce, Khrais added. at 30 million barrels per day. er countries, especially the United industry experts. Vague legislation and unsystem- (The Associated Press) Arab Emirates and Egypt which add “In Jordan, we were the first in the atic enforcement of laws are also 14.9% to its troubles as the kingdom tries region to develop a vision to make harming the sector, Abbassi said. 2011 12.4% to grow and build on previous suc- the country an ICT hub but it was 2009 But despite the sector’s gradual Egypt enters into cesses. merely talk. We had problems with decline, IT exports have been on the In 2009, US giant Yahoo! acquired the implementation of the vision,” 12.2% 11.2% rise. According to official figures, ex- deal with China the Amman-based Maktoob Arabic Abbassi told The Arab Weekly. ports reached $223 million in 2009, portal for about $160 million. All Several Jordanian ICT companies 2012 $204 million in 2010, $237 million in worth $10 billion eyes were focused on Jordan, await- have moved their sales offices to 2013 2011, $308 million in 2012 and $332 ing more successes in the ICT sector. Gulf Arab countries and program- million in 2013. Egypt entered into an initial A few years later, several start- ming business to Egypt, a source in According to sector experts, there Jordan’s IT exports targeted 27 agreement with China over 15 pro- ups, including Jamalon, which is the sector told The Arab Weekly on are more than 25,000 jobless ICT markets worldwide in 2013. How- jects worth about $10 billion, Egyp- the Arab world’s first online store for condition of anonymity, citing the graduates in Jordan, while 75% of ever, growth is likely to be impeded. tian Trade Minister Mounir Fakhry Arabic and English books, emerged. sensitivity of his information. “If the sector’s companies say they face Profits generated from exports are Abdel Nour said. Other start-ups, especially in the we don’t get our act together, the re- major difficulties in finding gradu- exempt from income tax until the Financing agreements for the pro- digital gaming industry, made it to maining companies will eventually ates with the basic skills required. end of the year and no decision has jects are to be signed by September, Silicon Valley and secured invest- move out of Jordan and we will end “University curricula need to be been made on whether there will be the ministry said in a statement. ments. up having very small start-ups that upgraded. We have been repeatedly an extension of the exemption. The projects would be focused on are unable to compete regionally or calling for changing the curricula “Lack of clarity and fluctuation in the electricity and transport sectors There are more than globally,” the source added. to yield better graduates with skills policies is another issue that harms but would include Chinese direct in- Abed Shamlawi, former chief needed in the labour market, but to the sector. For the ICT sector to re- vestment in other projects. 25,000 jobless ICT executive officer (CEO) of the ICT no avail,” said Shamlawi. store its glory and for Jordan to be- The minister did not name spe- graduates in Jordan Association of Jordan (int@j), said Authorities are not even helping, come an ICT hub, there is a need cific companies involved but said talented professionals working in said Nour Khrais, chairman of the for serious collaborative work and that the Export-Import Bank of Chi- “Unfortunately, the authorities local ICT firms are being offered at- Jordan Gaming Task Force. efforts,” Abbassi said. na would provide financing for six did not build on these successes tractive salaries abroad, whether in “The ICT sector in Jordan has par- “But first, we need to admit that transport projects including build- and the ICT sector is declining,” said the Gulf or Europe. tially lost attractiveness to inves- we have a problem.” ing a new railroad and developing Jawad Abbassi, founder and gen- “This is placing a heavy burden tors, especially in the digital gaming several existing ones. eral manager of the Arab Advisors on Jordanian companies that are un- industry,” Khrais said, pointing to Mohammad Ghazal is a Jordanian (Reuters) Group, a specialised research entity able to match these lucrative offers red tape that bogs down the system. journalist based in Amman. 18 June 19, 2015 Society

Arab disappointment, anger over FIFA corruption scandal

Samar Kadi jeopardised if Qatar’s World Cup is nament,” Krayem said. held in winter, outside the usual “It will be a blow to Qatar’s ego, timing of the tournament in June- more than anything else,” he add- Beirut July. ed. “It is not racism. It is much more Krayem also suggested that Arab rab football fans blame fundamental,” Krayem said. “There countries that accuse Qatar of fi- politics, economic in- are huge contracts involving mil- nancing Islamic radicalism and vio- terests and racism for lions of dollars signed between the lence sweeping the region would be Ascandals implicating football unions and football clubs “happy to see it lose its cup”. the sport’s international of Europe and big sponsors and For sociologist Mona Fayyad, governing body, FIFA, putting into marketing companies which use politics and economic interests run question the fate of World Cup stadiums for promotion during the the whole world and football is no tournaments awarded to Russia European football season that takes exception. Being the number one and Qatar for 2018 and 2022, re- place in winter and spring.” sport globally, football has been at- spectively. “In view of the high stakes, clubs tracting huge investments since the US prosecutors jolted the sports are reluctant to have their players turn of the century. world by indicting 14 senior admin- go to Qatar for the Mundial, when “When there is a lot of money istrators and business figures, in- the season should be at its highest there is eventually corruption. It is cluding FIFA officials, over alleged in Europe,” Krayem argued. normal…,” Fayyad said. “But why bribery and corruption in the sport. He said Qatar faces a high risk of FIFA’s corruption was brought to The scandal turned the spotlight seeing its dream of hosting the cup the open at this particular timing? again on the already controversial fade away, noting that the decision Simply because a conflict of inter- Qatar bid. to contest the tournament in the ests occurred.” “Corruption in FIFA is nothing desert emirate was already contro- “There could be some sort of new. It has been there for decades. versial because of its extreme heat, snobbism and superiority in the States always paid money to win which caused FIFA to move it to West’s attitude, especially towards the right to host the world’s top winter, forcing domestic leagues to Russia, which they see as a fail- soccer event,” commented football change their schedules. ing economy and having a con- fan and sports commentator Dany troversial president like Vladimir Harb. High economic Putin who is making problems in So why break the silence now? interests will be Ukraine,” she said. While acknowledging that Qatar Fayyad argued that the Arab FIFA President Sepp Blatter announces Qatar as the host nation might have done wrong by seeking jeopardised if Qatar’s world is familiar with corruption, for the FIFA World Cup 2022, in Zurich. to buy votes of FIFA officials with World Cup is held in especially in politics. extravagant amounts of money, winter “The politicised Arab youth who source of joy for many youth who and I will be happy if it hosts the Harb charged that politics and rac- were the driving force behind the would be very angry if Qatar is championship. It will feel like it is ism were behind threats to deprive Qatar, a small state of an estimat- so-called ‘Arab spring’ movements prevented from hosting the World being played in Egypt.” the oil-rich Arab Gulf country from ed population of 2.1 million, about and protests against corruption Cup. “The fact that the sport is In Jordan many football fans said hosting the World Cup in 2022. 270,000 of whom are Qataris; the would not be surprised to hear that tarnished by corruption may force they would like to see the World “The Europeans are playing all rest are foreigners brought in as la- corruption exists also in sports,” these people to forget about foot- Cup hosted in the neighbourhood. kinds of games to deprive Qatar of bour, beat giant bidders such as the she said. “The problem is for the ball altogether,” he said “The Arab world has a lot of foot- the cup because they do not appre- United States and Japan in winning average Arab citizens who are not For 25-year-old Ulwy Ahmed, an ball fans and players, and it de- ciate Arab countries. It is sheer rac- the vote for the 2022 World Cup. politicised, not very educated and Egyptian communications gradu- serves to host the 2022 World Cup,” ism,” he said. “It will be a big dis- This has obviously angered the who follow up sports. Those feel ate, the bitterness of Egypt’s abort- said Amman soccer fan Moham- appointment for Arab fans if Qatar Americans, as well as Europeans, proud that an Arab country is host- ed bid to host the 2010 World Cup, med Taha, 32. loses the cup.” who cried foul. ing the World Cup and would be awarded to South Africa, is still “Besides, Qatar is close to Jordan Football officials said Qatar and “If Qatar loses the event, it won’t disappointed if Qatar lost it.” vivid. “Egypt did everything possi- geographically, so people who can Russia could lose the rights to host mean anything, except that Arabs Young Arab fans do dread the ble to win the bid, but FIFA did not afford to go watch the games live World Cup if evidence of bribery is will go back to reality, to the fact possibility that the first World Cup give it the chance,” he said. “Like all can fly to Qatar instead of touring established. Qatar denies corrup- that neither Qatar nor any other in the Middle East might not see international organisations, FIFA is half of the world to get to their des- tion was involved. Arab country as such has a football the light. run by [the interests] of the world’s tination.” Charbel Krayem, also a football history in comparison to Europe- Ahmed Hussein, a 19-year-old major powers.” fan and follower, underlined that ans or South Americans, in order to Egyptian college student, said “Qatar deserves to host the World Samar Kadi is The Arab Weekly’s high economic interests will be claim the right to host the top tour- watching football matches is a Cup. After all, it is an Arab country, Travel and Society section editor. Turmoil fuels unemployment and poverty in Arab region

Raied T. Shuqum graduates fail to find jobs because ment problem are the Syrian, Iraqi their specialisations are not need- and other refugee crises across Amman ed by the private sector, according MENA countries, especially Jordan to ILO. and Lebanon. egional turmoil, militant Nationalisation of private ven- Syrian refugees are replacing violence and the swell- tures in the MENA region has had more expensive local labour in ing numbers of refugees a debilitating effect on the private Jordan and Lebanon, where unem- Rare driving up unem- sector, hindering expansion and ployment rates are swelling, wages ployment figures as well the creation of jobs, Muhiesen are plummeting, and working con- as poverty and desperation across wrote in an email. ditions are deteriorating. the Middle East and North Africa Add to that instability in the re- Mohammad Abu Salem, a Syrian (MENA). gion scaring off investors, ever- refugee from the southern border With conflict engulfing several growing security allocations eating town of Daraa who fled to Jordan countries in the region and vio- up already depleted budgets at the three years ago, is working in a res- lence by Islamic State (ISIS) mili- expense of development, non-pay- taurant in Amman. tants broadening in Iraq and Syria, ment of pledges from the Group of Abu Salem said after leaving capital is emigrating to safer areas 7 and Gulf nations to “Arab spring” a Jordan-based camp for Syrian in the Gulf Arab region and Asia, countries, social unrest and work refugees, he travelled to Amman, leaving tens of thousands of Arabs stoppages — all lead to downward where he took a low-paying job jobless. trending economies with lost jobs that allowed him to rent an apart- This economic reality along with Demonstrating for bread and jobs and no growth to sustain, Muhies- ment for his wife and four children. a lack of social justice, high taxa- en said. “I do not mind any job, any pay- tion, government bureaucracy, “This is a very vicious cycle, and ment, as long as I can feed the hun- nepotism and corruption as well as do anything” to avenge, Muhiesen more than 30% of young Arabs are we need to collectively address gry mouths I have,” he said. inadequate health care, education added. jobless because of unrest and insuf- these issues, which are all inter- Husni, an Amman restaurant and other state services in much of Globally, more than 201 million ficient investment in several Arab twined,” the banker added. manager who preferred to go by the Arab world leaves youth, espe- people are unemployed, and the countries, Mohammed Luqman, According to the ILO, labour mar- his first name only and not have cially, desperate and frustrated. number is expected to rise in the director-general of the Arab Labour kets in the MENA region haven’t his restaurant identified, said he Young people under 25 years of next five years, warned the In- Organisation (ALO), said in recent recovered from the political insta- “started to hire Syrians because age make up more than half of the ternational Labour Organization remarks. bility that surfaced in 2011 while they have no qualms working long Arab world’s population of 423 mil- (ILO), a UN agency. “A major problem for the MENA petroleum-rich Gulf countries hours and doing anything I tell lion. They are fertile ground for ex- More than 61 million jobs have region is obviously youth unem- managed to buck the trend. them.” tremists such as ISIS, which offers been lost since the start of the ployment, but adult unemploy- Unemployment in the MENA A young Syrian refugee, who them marriage bonuses and free global economic crisis in 2008, ment is also at an incredible high region rose to 11.6% in 2011 from works at an Amman fast-food res- housing as well as salaries to their and the number of jobless is fore- rate,” Luqman said. He estimated 10.8% the previous year and is ex- taurant, said he earns 5 Jordanian families if they die in battle. cast to reach more than 212 million the number of unemployed Arabs pected to remain at approximately dinars ($7) a day, about half the “Poverty and desperation are by 2019. The West Bank and the at 20 million, two million more 12% through 2015, the ILO report wage of Jordanians. “I am fine with the two most dehumanising fac- Gaza Strip have the seventh high- since the 2011 “Arab spring” revolu- said. that,” he said, insisting on anonym- tors of being unemployed,” Khaled est worldwide unemployment rate tions that swept across the region The region’s joblessness contin- ity. Muhiesen, general manager of Am- at 25.3%. Worldwide the highest and toppled four of its leaders. ues to be the highest in the world, “Whenever there are govern- man-based National Microfinance ranked country is Mauritania with Unemployment in the Arab with youth unemployment stand- ment raids, I flee from the back Bank, said. a rate of 30.9%. Qatar at 0.3% has world reached 17% in 2014, which ing at 29.5% in 2014. It is expected door.” Some people, especially unem- the lowest jobless rate worldwide, was three times higher than the to rise to 29.8% in 2015, hindered ployed youth, “feel victimised, according to the ILO. global average, and is expected to by the growing size of the compara- Raied T. Shuqum, based in Jordan, humiliated and angry” at their gov- Unemployment for global youth rise through 2016, a figure that is tively young population. has been covering the region since ernments, “which can lead them to is approximately 13%. Regionally, compounded by the fact that many Compounding the unemploy- 1999. June 19, 2015 19 Society

Protesting sexual harassment in Cairo The war against sexual harassment rages on in Egypt

Rania al-Malky verbal harassment at 95.5%. against women in Tahrir Square, says that simply establishing har- demonstration. Egyptian Presi- Sabry’s physical reaction grew which included life-threatening assment as a crime is not enough. dent Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who was out of the Amaan (“Safety”) Cam- violence in some cases. “There needs to be more serious then a military intelligence officer, Cairo paign she established in January OpAntiSH, a collaboration of in- application of the law, now that defended the practice, arguing 2014 with the help of professional dividuals, organisations and initia- the issue has become more vis- that it shielded soldiers from rape s Ghaydaa Sabry braves mixed martial arts trainers to teach tives, was established in Novem- ible,” Ibrahim said. allegations. downtown Cairo, ex- women fundamentals of self-de- ber 2012 with the aim to end mob Dalia Abdel Hameed, gender of- plaining how street fence. sexual assaults against women in ficer at the Egyptian Initiative The mob attacks in Apeddlers often ogle her “If I’m the one who is being Tahrir Square and the surround- for Personal Rights, contends that Tahrir Square have to the point of “get- harassed, then I’m the one who ing area. Less than six months violent collective sexual attacks turned the issue into ting into my pants”, she suddenly should hit back,” she said. later, the group reported at least 50 against women are not restricted turns, screaming. Monica Ibrahim, communica- cases of mob sexual assaults in the to political gatherings. They occur a topic of public “You animal!” she yells as she tions manager at HarassMap, said square during protests calling for during celebrations or even on the debate punches and kicks a young man physically fighting harassment the removal of Muhammad Morsi subway, where men are present in who had just passed by. She struck is one measure women can take, as president. large numbers. Much like the situation under at the harasser as a group of men but her group takes a different ap- “In light of the militarisation of Mubarak, today the “military dic- rushed him off to save him from proach.. HarassMap uses online the public space and the crack- tatorship suffocates dissent, crimi- her angry fists. reporting and mapping technology down on activism via the anti-pro- nalising the freedom of gathering “It’s over,” one of them says, to to support community mobilisa- 99.3% test law, which restricts the chanc- and expression but at the same which she indignantly calls out, “If tion effort to break the silence on es of gathering and organisation, time it wants to appear as cham- this had happened to your sister, the issue of sexual harassment. of Egyptian it may seem that the occurrence pions of women’s rights, so they would you say, ‘It’s over’?” “The target of HarassMap is the women say they of such collective attacks and rape issued the (anti-harassment) law,” She walks off, palpitating, pale silent bystander,” Ibrahim aid. has decreased,” she said, “but said Abdel Hameed. and visibly shaken despite the bra- “Many women want to speak out experienced some there is really no way of verifying “Even though this is good, it is vado she tries so hard to project. but receive little to no support form of sexual this claim.” only a partial measure. It is also “He touched my leg, but I tried from bystanders.” harassment Security forces have long used risky to make gains from a law en- not to hit him too hard because She acknowledged that, thanks sexual assault to quash political coded by presidential decree not he’s just a kid,” said Sabry, 22. to the efforts of civic organisa- dissent. In May 2005 outside the through an elected parliament,” tions, sexual harassment is now They reported that “mobs of Journalists Syndicate, security she maintained. We’ll continue to talked about. 20-30-year-olds would split into forces stood by as plain-clothes For Sabry, history continues to fight back to reclaim “The mob attacks in Tahrir two groups, form a circle around government operatives assaulted repeat itself. Square have turned the issue a girl or a group of girls and then four women protesting constitu- “Each party to the conflict uses the street into a topic of public debate, “ begin to assault them in an airtight tional amendments that consoli- sexual harassment to apply pres- she noted, also citing a June 2014 pattern”, leaving several women dated Hosni Mubarak’s dictator- sure, to terrify women from partic- “I revere violence,” she says, gig- sexual harassment law as a mile- bleeding and requiring hospitalisa- ship. ipating and to pressure their broth- gling but looking nervous. stone in shaping public perception tion. Prosecutors failed to bring charg- ers and fathers to keep them home Sabry’s incident is indicative of of the issue as a crime and influ- Convicted harassers face prison es against the perpetrators and the and preferably stay with them,” life in Egypt. According to an April encing social behaviour surround- sentences of six months to five media blamed the victims for al- she said. 2013 survey conducted by the UN ing it. years and could be fined 50,000 legedly “exposing” their bodies. “But something changed inside Entity for Gender Equality and the In January 2013, during demon- Egyptian pounds ($6,580). The chaos following Mubarak’s us after the revolution,” Sabry con- Empowerment of Women, 99.3% strations marking the anniversary While Ibrahim concedes that removal brought up other is- cluded defiantly. “We’ll continue of Egyptian women say they ex- of the January 25th uprising, Op- the law now encouraged women sues, including “virginity tests” to fight back to reclaim the street.” perienced some form of sexual eration Anti-Sexual Harassment/ to speak out, as opposed to the si- conducted by military forces on harassment. Touching accounted Assault (OpAntiSH) received 19 lence that allowed even the worst female protesters following the Rania al-Malky is an Arab Weekly for 96.5% of the cases, followed by reports of group sexual assaults violations to go unreported, she violent dispersal of another Tahrir contributor in Cairo. 20 June 19, 2015 Society

A Tunisian woman buys dates on the first day of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan at the Central Market in Tunis. The pleasures and worries of Ramadan in Tunisia

Roua Khlifi the mufti announcing the appear- from religion. “I wouldn’t say ISIS ance of the crescent moon and the has affected the way Tunisians beginning of Ramdan and the ex- perceive religion. In a way, I think Tunis changing of seasonal wishes. that the way violence has been por- The national committee for the trayed on TV has made Muslims amadan in Tunisia is observation of the Ramadan cres- numb to shocking images. Religion a month of religious cent moon sets up observatories has become an inherited practice in worship but also of in- in several Tunisian towns to deter- Tunisia,” Safia, a teacher, said. Rdulgence. Days before mine the beginning of the month, fasting begins, signs of with some families accompanying Ramadan in Tunisia preparations for Ramadan appear their children to an observatory to is a month of in Tunisian towns as a new dynam- witness the crescent’s appearance. ic overcomes the streets and mar- “The state sets up committees in religious worship ketplaces. different regions of the country to but also of Bakeries set up special sections make sure the crescent can be seen indulgence for the season’s sweets and pas- from the 24 governorates of the tries. People line up in long queues country. Following the observation, “After all it is part of the culture in supermarkets to stock up on food the mufti announces on TV wheth- that we inherited from one ancestor products for the holy month. Oth- er the following day is the first day to the other. It is about the spiritu- ers head to local shops to buy spe- of Ramadan or not,” said Ghofran ality and faith as we know it, rather cialty spices and pastries. Mosques Husseini, spokesman of the Fatwa than the rigid codes some have repaint their domes and start re- Office. tried to impose. This can be seen citing the Quran following the “At the end of the day, we receive when it comes to Tunisians who Maghreb prayers. reports from different regions to don’t pray but insist on observing Many families have grown appre- determine if it is the beginning the fast during Ramadan and ab- hensive about the month because of Ramadan or not. We often also stain from drinking alcohol.” of the added costs and the surge in monitor the results in other coun- Many Tunisians take the oppor- prices that have made certain sea- tries with which we share the same tunity of Ramadan to enjoy rare sonal products unaffordable. time zone.” moments with family. While many believe Ramadan is While young people go out at Many Tunisians take about spirituality, others think the night to attend cultural events or the opportunity of month has become mostly a cel- simply to sip Arabic coffee or smoke ebration of food. During Ramadan, water pipes in the old medina of Ramadan to enjoy there is a tendency to overeat and Tunis, others visit neighbours and rare moments with indulge in sweets. relatives to chat, exchange sweets family “It is unfortunate that Ramadan or watch their favourite TV pro- is no longer a time of the year where grammes. “Prices of meat and vegetables people feel closer to God. It is now “There are differences in the way increase every year, and a lot of about preparing food, spending the people socialise during the month,” vendors take advantage of the crav- day asleep and staying up all night said Imen. ings of people who are fasting to in cafes,” said Salah Moumni, a gro- “The older generation puts more increase the prices. This leads to a cery owner. emphasis on socialisation in Rama- mess,” says Ali, a carpenter. “I take this time of the year as dan, especially in the second half of “I only have two children, but I an opportunity to meditate, to get the month. Muslims conduct taraweeh prayers at Al Zitouna mosque in Tunis. can barely make ends meet during closer to the family and to make “Cafés used to attract men the past years. It gets worse during sure I read the Quran every night whereas women would hang out Ramadan as more and more ex- and attend religious gatherings.” with relatives and friends at home, sacred time for families,” Imen to buy nothing. That is one of the penses are added. The grocery list Following the terrorist attacks in especially when the Eid is close, to said. “Now, people tend to go out pleasures of Ramadan.” increases as does the cost of sweets Tunisia and the growing threats of make traditional sweets.” after the iftar dinner. The cafés and pastries.” the Islamic State (ISIS), some say “Before, there were fewer TV are jam-packed. Also, people take Roua Khlifi is a regular Arab Since the invention of television, that violent manifestations of ex- shows and less of a choice; there- strolls downtown and gaze at shop Weekly contributor. She is based in Tunisians have come to anticipate tremism could drive people away fore, the series time used to be windows, even when they intend Tunis. June 19, 2015 21 Culture

In Gaza Strip, the healing power of music

Saud Abu Ramadan Ten children — five boys and five girls, aged between 8 and 12 — sat on coloured plastic chairs that came Beit Hanoun, Gaza Strip from a school in the area. Some of the children beamed smiles while inger Sarah Ramadan and others looked anxious. three colleagues are using “How are you, dudes?” Ramadan music to treat Gaza Strip asked as she greeted them. Schildren suffering severe “Fine, thank you, teacher,” the traumas from the July 2015 children replied. Israeli war. “We came here to play music for Ramadan, Fares Anbar on drums, you and sing beautiful songs to- Iyad Rashid playing the violin and gether. How about that?” Ramadan Saeed Faddel at the electric piano asked take their instruments every morn- The eager reply came quickly: ing to an area destroyed in the war “Yes. Yes.” to meet children and play music. Before Ramadan started singing Called Play and Joy, the pro- she told the children that she had a gramme is sponsored by the private game to play with them, saying. “I Gaza-based Tamer Institute for So- want you to close your eyes for two cial Culture. It is devoted to treat- minutes while my friends play mu- ing traumatised children by playing sic. I want you to think about what music, singing or reading stories. you see from the past and how you “The project aims to treat chil- expect to see them when you grow dren who suffer from post-war trau- up.” mas caused by last summer’s Israeli When the children reopened their war on Gaza or those who live in eyes, they were asked to say what devastated areas and know nothing they saw. about music,” Tamer’s project coor- Iman, 13, said she saw “Israeli dinator, Mohammed Zyara, said. warplanes bombing houses and kill- ing children.” The recent air strikes “I hope there will be no more on Gaza brought wars,” she said. She then quickly Young Palestinian singer Sarah Ramadan (left), Saeed Faddel (second from left in greenish T-shirt) added that she later saw herself in a and Fares Anbar, (third from left, in a white T-shirt) and holding the drums, in Gaza. back to those huge flower-filled garden “painting children the bad a beautiful portrait”. memories of the war “Maybe what I saw was paradise, was a 3-month-old. kered by Egypt on August 26th, ran- where all the martyrs are,” she said. Although the 2,000 Gaza children More than dom skirmishes and Israeli strikes “The damages resulting from the Ramadan said the musicians were who were physically wounded in continue. war are seen and felt in every aspect trying “to bring hope to the chil- the conflict were treated, UNICEF 60% “All what had been accomplished of life but they will be fixed one dren, to hear from them about their maintains that an additional within the past 11 months either by day. However, nobody talks about dreams and what they see when 326,000 children who suffer from of Gaza’s population young volunteers like those musi- the war’s psychological effect and they close their eyes and have them various psychological problems cians or by our mental health pro- when the suffering of the children listen to music”. haven’t been treated yet. encountered gramme had gone with the wind,” will end.” “This is actually how we treat Sami Oweida, a psychiatric con- psychological Oweida said. On a recent sunny day, Rama- children and help them vent out sultant in the Gaza Mental Health problems “We’re back to square one. The dan and the three male musicians what is buried inside them,” she Programme, said more than 60% of recent air strikes on Gaza brought stopped outside a heavily damaged said. Gaza’s population of 1.8 million en- the war ended, but little has been back to those children the bad neighbourhood, grabbed their in- The UN’s children agency, countered psychological problems. accomplished to rehabilitate the memories of the war.” struments from the trunk of their UNICEF, said in a report that 31% He confirmed UNICEF’s report that children with the post-war trau- vehicle and walked to an open lot of the civilian victims of the 51-day 326,000 children in Gaza need psy- mas.” Saud Abu Ramadan, based in Gaza, that serves as a playground in Beit Israeli war on Gaza were children. chotherapy. “What the musicians Although the war officially ended is an Arab Weekl y correspondent Hanoun, a town in northern Gaza It noted that an average of ten chil- are doing is needed,” Oweida said. with a ceasefire between Israel and who has been covering the Israeli- not far from the Israeli border. dren were killed daily, the youngest “It has been almost one year since Gaza’s Hamas rulers in a deal bro- Palestinian conflict for 28 years. In memoriam: Radwa Ashour, Egyptian novelist

Mona Anis sealed when she married Palestin- on Me, it included the lines: “Rad- (1893) exists in four versions in var- She went to the United States in ian poet Mourid Barghouti in 1970 wa Ashour is a proposal for better ious media. Ashour wanted to have December 2010, where she was told and gave birth to their son Tamim human beings./Her smile says I one of the prints on the cover of that the tumour had degenerated Cairo in 1977. The anniversary of her tried it, and it’s possible./And when the second part of her autobiogra- into a form of cancer known as neu- birth was commemorated in a man- they let her down/ I see the face of phy, which she did not believe she rofibrosarcoma. Follow, poet, follow right ner appropriate to the much-loved the morning is sad.” would live to see published. This Between December 2010 and De- To the bottom of the night, Ashour with poetry readings by Four of Ashour’s works reissued wish was granted by her publisher. cember 2014, Ashour had four head With your unconstraining voice Mourid and Tamim Barghouti. by Shorouk had been out of print Ashour’s battle with illness and surgeries but still completed the Still persuade us to rejoice; The Barghoutis read poems for some time, while the fifth is the her extraordinary resilience in first part of her memoir, continued With the farming of a verse mainly about Ashour to a packed second part of her autobiography, continuing to write and engage in to teach and supervise academic Make a vineyard of the curse, main hall of the El-Sawy Culture left unfinished at the time of her public life during the battle was re- dissertations and participated in Sing of human unsuccess Wheel in Cairo on June 2nd. death. The first part of the autobi- markable. A month before the Jan- the revolutionary mobilisation in In a rapture of distress; The elder Barghouti read the ography, Heavier than Radwa, was uary 25th Egyptian uprising in 2011, the streets as much as she was able. In the desert of the heart complete text, for the first time, published in 2013. she was told she had to investigate By September 7, 2014, Ashour Let the healing fountain start of a long poem he had written for The second part derives its a benign nerve sheath tumour bebe-- could not write anymore. Before –W.H. Auden on the AAshourshour in 1973 wwhenhen sshehe travetravelledlled ttitle,itle, TThehe SScreamcream, ffromrom hhindind hherer eearar tthathat shshee had putting her pen down for the last death of W.B. Yeats ttoo the United States fforor her doc- tthehe work ooff Norwe- bbeeneen compcomplaininglaining aaboutbout time, she wrote, “Writing is on my ttorate.orate. It sounded like an eleelegygy ggianian artist Edvard fforor some timetime.. mind all the time but I dare not go he publishing house ththatat hhadad bbeeneen written jjustust a sshorthort MuncMunch,h, wwhosehose near the computer or put pen to pa- Shorouk marked the an- wwhilehile ago: “I wake up on a poem well-knwell-knownown per.” niversary of the birth of rrisingising at dawn/asking me wworkork ThThee She was a writer of immense gift, T Egyptian novelist and wwherehere you have gone./ SScreamcream courage and integrity as her autobi- critic Radwa Ashour by I don’t weep./ I gogo to ography testifies. In both volumes, reissuing five of her books. Ash- yyourour bed,/ And find but perhaps especially the second, our’s death last December created iinn it a poem, wawak-k- one can feel the tension between waves of sadness among the com- iingng up,/sayinup,/sayingg what is represented and what is not munity of writers in Egypt and be- ggoodood morninmorning.”g.” represented, or, as the late Edward yond, especially in Palestine where Tamim BargBargh-h- Said put it, “between the articulate she was much admired for her un- ooutiuti rereadad a new and the silent,” where silence itself wavering support of the struggle ppoemoem in EgypEgyp-- is an aspect of style. of the Palestinians and the right of ttianian vernvernacularacular Novels by Radwa Ashour in Eng- return for those driven out of their AArabicrabic ththatat he lish: homes in 1948. hhadad comcomposedposed Granada: A novel, translated by aass an elegyelegy for William Granara, Syracuse Univer- Ashour had always hhisis motmother.her. sity Press, 2003. considered herself to EEntitledntitled TThehe Siraj, translated by Barbara Ro- UUniverseniverse hhasas maine, University of Texas Press, be a Palestinian as SSuddenlyuddenly 2007. well as an Egyptian CClosedlosed in Spectres, translated by Barbara Romaine, Interlink Books, 2010. In her last novel, The Woman The Woman from Tantoura, trans- from Tantoura: A Palestinian Novel, lated by Kay Heikkinen, American published in 2010 in Arabic and in University Press in Cairo, 2014. 2014 in English, she dramatised the Blue Lorries, translated by Bar- lives of those Palestinians on whose bara Romaine, Bloomsbury Qatar land the state of Israel was created. Foundation, 2014. Ashour had always considered herself to be a Palestinian as well Mona Anis is a Cairo-based as an Egyptian and that affinity was journalist and literary critic. 22 June 19, 2015 Culture

Ibn Battuta — A musical odyssey

Ati Metwaly

Muscat

asten your seat belts and get ready for a “ journey alongside Ibn FBattuta,” read the pro- gramme notes for Ibn Battuta: A Musical Journey through Arabia at the Royal Opera House in Muscat. The curtain rises inside the grand hall of this state-of-the-art build- ing, the pride of Oman, and the audience is invited to follow in the footsteps of one of the world’s most notable travellers – the 14th- century Moroccan scholar Abu Ab- dullah Muhammad Ibn Abdullah al-Lawati al-Tanji Ibn Battuta. Egyptian actor Abdel-Rahman Abou Zahra (Photos courtesy of Arabesque International) “Travel abroad, search for the highest bounty, seek knowledge even as far as China,” Ibn Battuta music, choreography and sets. dour to the show, and Gabr’s score tool, interacts with the girl. The Abouzahra considers its staging at wrote in his account of the 75,000 Ibn Battuta lived in the golden is rich in harmonies from both orchestra is joined by the choir the Royal Opera House in Oman to miles he travelled during 30 years age of Muslim travel, encounter- modern and historical music and and soloists who lead the audience be its world premiere. In July, it is crossing the kaleidoscopic Muslim ing many different peoples and features a skilful mixture of West- further into the Levant. The music to be performed at the Expo 2015 world, recounting his encounters customs. Drawing on this idea, Ibn ern and oriental scales. becomes soothing and melodious, in Milan, and Abouzahra has prom- with kings and sultans, holy men Battuta: A Musical Journey unites From the beat-driven music that delivering an oriental feel. ised to take it yet further afield. and mystics, dervishes and warri- the artistic forces of many coun- reflects commotion at the airport, Leaving the hall after the perfor- ors and magicians and fire-eaters. tries. The music was composed the audience is taken to a second Ibn Battuta lived in mance and inspired by this tale of and conducted by Hisham Gabr scene where the ambiance of the the golden age of distant times and places, the audi- Ibn Battuta: A (Egypt), and the dancing was cho- Muslim world is felt for the first ence cannot fail to be aware of the reographed by Walid Aouni (Leba- time. Captivating projections are Muslim travel show’s importance for regional Musical Journey non). The piece was performed used, along with percussive, dance- musical history. The Arab world presents one of the by the Orchestra I Pomeriggi Mu- like music featuring colourful or- The scene set in Oman is a skilful has seen successful projects mar- greatest journeys of sicali (Italy), the Conservatory of chestration. The following scene, mixture of rhythmically complex rying music with theatre before, all time the Lebanon Choir, the Sofia Ballet presenting Egypt, moves the audi- segments and symphonic orches- among them the operettas of Egyp- Company (Bulgaria), and soloists ence from the country’s pharaonic tration as Omani traditional musi- tian composer Sayed Darwish and and actors from Egypt, Lebanon to Islamic eras. Again, projections cians take to the stage. In the finale, pieces performed by the famous Bringing together 180 artists and Oman. Lighting was by Karoly are used to transport the audience breathtaking, rondo-like music is Caracalla Dance Theatre in Leba- from the Arab world and Europe, Ferenczy (Hungary), and costumes to ancient Egypt with the composer used that incorporates the previ- non, but Ibn Battuta: A Musical Ibn Battuta: A Musical Journey pre- were by Dina Nadeem (Egypt). choosing glorious colours and unu- ous themes. Wrapped in an extrav- Journey is the first contemporary sents one of the greatest journeys of The audience is taken to the sual rhythms and scales to suggest aganza of colours and movement, piece that unites a full-size orches- all time. It begins in modern times city of Tangiers in Morocco, where the music of the period. dancers fill the stage to celebrate tra with a choir, soloists, dancers with passengers at an airport in a Ibn Battuta was born, and then to The Islamic part of the piece is a Ibn Battuta’s years of journeys and and actors. hurry to find their departure gates. Egypt, the Levant and the Gulf. showcase for Gabr’s harmonisation discoveries. Ibn Battuta: A Musical Journey A girl (played by Heba Raslan) finds Through a mix of colours, striking of the Western and oriental musical The historical Ibn Battuta trav- through Arabia was performed May an old book and is joined by Ibn sets and splendid costumes, the scales, the latter not lacking char- elled further to South and East 30th and 31st at the Royal Opera Battuta in old age, played by Egyp- piece represents the uniqueness acteristic quarter tones. Asia, but the musical ends in House in Muscat. tian actor Abdel-Rahman Abou of each country. The captivating The audience follows the older Oman. Though the piece was also Zahra, who walks her through his blend of Western music with orien- Ibn Battuta’s memories, while his performed in Bahrain in 2012 in a Ati Metwaly is a journalist and life story, presented in captivating tal nuances adds particular splen- younger self, played by Ezz el Os- smaller version, producer Ahmed music critic based in Cairo. The Bridge: A ground-breaking interfaith exhibition

Dunia El-Zobaidi

London

s sectarian conflict and proxy wars engulf the Middle East, building Aunderstanding between the faiths must at some point become part of efforts to make peace and achieve eventual reconciliation. Nearly four dozen visual artists, representing a range of religions, contributed works for The Bridge, a travelling exhibition meant to im- prove dialogue between faiths. After opening in Paris in Febru- ary, the exhibition is now showing at St Martin-in-the-Fields church in London till July 31st. It then has stops planned for elsewhere in Eu- rope, Egypt and the United States. The title of the exhibition — The Bridge — was chosen, not because it is a means to bring two things closer to each other, but as a means to get from one thing to the other. Each side is able to retain its dis- organisation. Milgrom. She said she hopes the a huge challenge at a time people never felt closer to each other in tinctiveness and yet can be ap- Insecurity is based on ignorance, artworks reach every school and find better ways of making their terms of what they say to each proached from the other side and said the Reverend Sam Wells, vicar every corner of the world, where voices heard and fewer ways of be- other and they have never felt so understood. of St Martin-in-the-Fields. He sug- children will understand the art- ing able to listen to each other. unable to deal with that closeness, Muslim, Christian and Jewish gested if people enter the world ists’ vision that we should all love “One of the aspects of recon- Welby said. contemporary and emerging artists of their neighbour, they may re- each other. ciliation is not that it abolishes di- Art subverts the lack of under- submitted art interpreting what alise things never imagined and versity with an incredibly boring standing, he said. It affects the con- they think bridges people. Wheth- also find what is interesting about Muslim, Christian mono-praying unanimity, but that scious mind where barriers exist er on canvas, wood or paper, both themselves. and Jewish it maintains diversity and in that and allows for space for interpreta- male and female artists empha- The exhibition displays what contemporary and diversity we find understanding,” tion. sised what religions have in com- religions hold in common, which the archbishop said. Organised by CARAVAN, The mon and encouraged unity. could determine the foundation emerging artists Referring to the growth of Islam- Bridge runs through July 31st at St “Art can imitate reconciliation as of the future, said Reverend Paul- submitted art ic State (ISIS) in Syria and Iraq, and Martin-in-the-Fields church, Lon- it is a common language around the Gordon Chandler, co-curator of the Boko Haram in Nigeria, Welby said don. A full schedule of the exhibi- world,” Archbishop of Canterbury exhibition. Art can bring people to- “Our religion is a religion of ac- the more people are able to com- tion tour can be found at: http:// Justin Welby told the exhibition gether who would normally never ceptance. Let artists be an instru- municate with each other, the less media.wix.com/ugd/3d5d0c_8e3e opening in London last week. come together, he said. ment of peace. Where there is hate, they seem able to deal with the di- 5d229eea4ec1bad4729469ad5608. The programme is curated by Art can also educate children, let us show love,” she said. versity they find. pdf. CARAVAN, which describes itself as as each work relays an unbeliev- Welby spoke of the importance Some reject anyone they do not “an interreligious and intercultural able story in a thousand words, of reconciliation through accepting like and demonise anyone they Dunia El-Zobaidi is an Arab Weekly peacebuilding” non-governmental said co-curator and artist Lilianne diversity. He said reconciliation is cannot understand. People have regular contributor in London. June 19, 2015 23 Culture World of Islam Egypt deploys scholars to teach moderate Islam

Cairo and Africa. It has a network of more Shuman said such changes are than 9,000 schools across Egypt at- reasonable. “Al-Azhar is built on Is- n his battle against militant tended by more than 2 million stu- lamic heritage but not all of it is sa- Islam, Egyptian President Ab- dents. cred,” he said. del Fattah al-Sisi is relying not Al-Azhar’s teachers, preachers The university insists that stu- I just on soldiers but on white- and researchers have introduced a dents should not read old religious turbaned clerics from al-Azhar, few changes, tweaking textbooks texts without guidance. Professor Egypt’s 1,000-year-old centre for and monitoring militant statements Abdel Fattah Alawari, dean of the Islamic learning. He wants clerics to on social media to better refute Islamic theology faculty at al-Azhar, counter radicalism in the classroom. them. However, al-Azhar officials said specialised panels were created In a televised speech in January at openly acknowledge the magnitude to review books written by profes- an al-Azhar conference, Sisi called of the challenge ahead. sors to make sure they do not lean for “a religious revolution” in Is- towards extremism. lam. Radicalised thinking, he said, In the struggle to Al-Azhar recently started a You- had become “a source of anxiety, contain radical Islam Tube channel to counter Islamist danger, killing and destruction for al-Azhar is one of the propaganda and began using social the rest of the world”. That had to media to condemn Islamic State change and scholars had a leading most important (ISIS) atrocities. Sheikhs from al- role to play, in schools, mosques and fronts Azhar tour youth centres around on the airwaves. the country to promote moderate “You, imams, are responsible be- To be successful, Sisi will need to thought and discourage radicalism. fore Allah. The entire world is wait- achieve what many before him have Abdel Hay Azab, president of al- ing. The entire world is waiting for not: balancing tough security meas- Azhar’s university, said: “Al-Azhar your next word because this nation ures with education to encourage university educates scientists, is being torn apart,” Sisi said. a more moderate version of Islam. preachers, doctors and engineers. The president’s warning is part Experiences in Egypt, Syria, Algeria So when al-Azhar provides its edu- of a much larger project. To contain and Iraq show that cracking down cational services to society, it has to the radical Islamist movement, Sisi on extremism can instead stoke it. be with the right vision for religion, has most conspicuously been using It was the president’s reputation which is that religion should not be the law and brute force but he is also for piety that led his predecessor, seen as an obstacle in society.” promoting a more moderate and Muhammad Morsi, a leading fig- The reforms have not been uni- less politicised version of the faith. ure in the Muslim Brotherhood, to versally welcomed. Yousef Hamdi, a In the struggle to contain radical appoint him army chief in August third-year student studying Islamic Islam al-Azhar is one of the most im- 2012. Yet Sisi was also bold enough theology, said he was upset that he portant fronts. to seize power from Morsi after the has not been taught the four main- Brotherhood leader became increas- stream schools of thought on Sunni Removing the dust Al-Azhar has ingly unpopular. Since then, Sisi has learning. He says reforms mean he is simplified its cracked down hard on the Brother- not being taught the full teachings stream Islamic titles and books by say authorities do target universi- curriculum to make hood. of Islam. The result, Hamdi said, more extreme Islamist scholars, in- ties. Since Sisi came to power, al-Azhar is that like-thinking students seek cluding Ibn Taymiyyah and Sheikh Abdul Ghani Hendi, a religious it more compatible has purged Morsi-era teachers and books that teach what they feel is Kishk. affairs adviser in the Egyptian par- with the modern age returned to an appointment sys- pure and traditional Islamic juris- liament, says al-Azhar should be tem in which the state plays a major prudence. The university’s completely restructured to allow for The al-Azhar mosque was built in role. It has publicly backed Sisi’s ac- Shuman said curriculum changes various faculties and self-criticism. “All the thought that the tenth century and is one of the tions against the Brotherhood and have not weakened the fiqh taught. dominates the society is extremists’ oldest in Egypt. It opened a univer- militants. Al-Azhar has simplified its “Sharia law allows for rulings that research centres thoughts. We should confess that sity that spread Shia Islam until the curriculum to make it more compat- are no longer applicable to the mod- have 450,000 frankly,” he said. end of the Fatimid Caliphate in 1171. ible with the modern age, said Ab- ern age to be reviewed to make it students Sisi remains committed to his It was turned into a Sunni mosque bas Shuman, al-Azhar deputy head. more suitable for this age,” he said. drive against militancy and says and university that taught the four Textbook passages describing the It is not hard, however, to find Egypt’s government denies alle- al-Azhar can do more to promote a schools of mainstream Sunni Islam. spoils of war and slavery have been radical texts. Just outside al-Azhar gations of human rights abuses and moderate form of Islam. In a recent Today the university’s various removed, he said, because, while mosque in Cairo’s old quarter, a says the Brotherhood, ISIS and al- speech, he said, “We need to move faculties and research centres have applicable during the Muslim con- maze of alleyways is dotted with Qaeda pose a grave threat to Egypt. faster and more effectively.” 450,000 students, many from Asia quests, are out of date. scores of bookshops selling main- At the same time, security sources (Reuters) Islamic organisation adjusts position on hate speech

Robert L. Wagner wave of anti-Islam hate speech in The United Nations wanted a little support outside Muslim coun- Few member states agree on what the United States and Europe. resolution to address religious tries to criminalise hate speech that constitutes representative religious While the OIC may bask in its discrimination and hate speech offends individuals who may react leadership. Jeddah achievement, Marc Limon, ex- through education and outreach. violently. Marie Juul Petersen, researcher ecutive director of the Universal The approach protects individuals OIC Secretary-General Iyad bin for the Danish Human Rights In- hen members of the Rights Group, put the resolution from discrimination and religious Amin Madani acknowledged in stitute, pointed out that the over- Organisation of Is- in context, noting that it is a “frag- hate instead of punishing people comments to told the Jeddah par- whelming majority of religious lamic Cooperation ile achievement” and “difficult to who defame religions. ticipants: that,“I recognise that pro- leaders are male, meaning there are (OIC) and Western maintain a consensus” among coun- It was a compromise the OIC was ponents of freedom of expression few female voices. Some sects are W diplomats promised tries. It is also an achievement that willing to make when it endorsed legitimately argue that prohibition not represented at all, she said. In in 2011 in Istanbul to meet annually falls far short of what OIC members Resolution 16/18, but to some par- on free expression would lead to addition, communities at the local to discuss the United Nations’ anti- had sought, which was the underly- ticipants, it was a less than ade- a reversal of many of the positive level must wrestle with which reli- hate crime Resolution 16/18, few ing argument among some Jeddah quate solution. democratic developments in the gious interpretations to accept. were confident that such sessions meeting participants. A key conflict between the wishes contemporary world.” would continue. The OIC each year from 1999 of the OIC and countries with unfet- But he noted: “I tend to hum- There is little Yet the OIC recently hosted in through 2010 sponsored anti-blas- tered free speech laws is the defini- bly disagree when this freedom is support outside Jeddah the fifth such meeting, now phemy resolutions in the UN Gen- tion of hate speech. Western nations stretched into the realm of hate Muslim countries to known as the Istanbul Process. The eral Assembly and with the UNHCR. prefer laws that criminalise speech speech. I fail to understand how the Istanbul Process was established Western nations, particularly the that incites violence and inten- right to offend or to insult, discrimi- criminalise hate to address tension in communities United States, opposed the resolu- tionally advocates violent actions nate or negatively stereotype can speech and combat religious hatred and tions. against specific religions. There is produce a positive outcome.” negative stereotypes. The session Success in implementing Reso- Amira Kashgari, a Saudi journalist also focused on strengthening the lution 16/18 has been modest. The and academic, objected to the in- resolution and bringing creating a United States has conducted work- clusion of any religious leaders. consensus among member states shops in Greece, Indonesia and Bos- “Religious leaders are not the so- for implementation. nia-Herzegovina. lution because they add fuel to the Equally important was that the Local community programmes conflict,” Kashgari said. “The public event marked a milestone for the in the United States have resulted obeys them, and they should not be OIC, which had attempted since in quick responses to anti-Muslim the source in solving conflicts.” 1999 to convince the United Nations events. Despite the hurdles, including ob- to pass meaningful anti-discrimi- Among other incidents, interfaith taining better representation among nation and anti-hate crime resolu- leaders quickly addressed a recent the OIC’s 57 members at future Is- tions. anti-Islamic protest in Arizona, that tanbul Process sessions, the OIC has The UN Human Rights Commis- easing tensions. fared better had more success in its sion’s (UNHCR) Resolution 16/18 is Involving religious leaders is a task to combat hate speech since it a starting point for member coun- key component of Resolution 16/18. recognised that its anti-blasphemy tries to implement anti-discrimi- To most Jeddah participants, co- stance had become too controver- nation laws. Its success since 2011 operation among major religious sial because of the limits it puts on has been incremental with a focus leaders to foster solidarity during free speech. on outreach and interfaith coopera- crises, particularly violent incidents By abandoning that position, tion. Implementation of the resolu- of global significance, is an obvious Madani of the OIC said Istanbul tion has become especially urgent path to solve conflicts. Yet ques- Process participants now use “a since the Charlie Hebdo massacre tions remain on how to achieve a consensual approach that shuns the in Paris and the rise of the Islamic Secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) balance that best represents peo- ideological divide and suggest an State(ISIS), which has sparked a Iyad bin Amin Madani ple victimised by discrimination. action-oriented policy framework”. 24 June 19, 2015 Travel

Agenda

Bethlehem, Palestinian territories: June 19th-22nd

The Bet Lahem Live Festival links local communities to global action with an exten- sive list of local and interna- tional performers in activi- ties ranging from concerts, workshops, parades, theatre productions, conferences, movie screenings, educa- tional engagement tours and art exhibitions.

Tunis, Tunisia: June 20th-July 15th

Tunis celebrates art during Ramadan through the 33rd edition of the Medina Festi- val. Concerts of instrumental Andalusian Malouf music, ethnic bands are programmed in venues of the old city of Medina. Artists from Tuni- sia, Egypt, Libya, Spain and France will be present. This The expansive courtyard at the Al-Khandaq Mosque is part of the SR 26 million project for the renovation of the historic site. year’s edition is a tribute to the Tunisian woman artist.

Sousse, Tunisia: The Seven Mosques of Medina June 21st-June 23rd Sousse, on the Gulf of Ham- mamet, is the site for the Mohammed Al-Yenbaawi historic mosques is al-Fath mosque 34th Sousse Music Festival. on the side of Sela mountain. Con- Concerts of instrumental mu- structed between 705 and 711, it sic with Tunisian and French Medina was refurbished in 1179. Ottoman artists are scheduled over Sultan Abdul Majid I rehabilitated three days. audi Arabia’s holy city of it in 1851. At the entrance, visitors Medina, perhaps more than scribble the names of family and Dubai: any other municipality in friends on the wall while giving June 22nd-July 6th Sthe kingdom, treasures its prayers for them, although Saudi historic sites. Guests can- authorities strongly discourage the The History and Art of Arabic not only make their religious jour- practice. Calligraphy features works ney, but also take in the city’s his- Twenty metres south of al- from 28 artists from the tory. This is particularly true due Fath is the Salman Al-Farisi United Arab Emirates, the to Medina’s significance in Islamic mosque, named for the Prophet Middle East and Spain. The history and the city’s efforts to pre- Mohammed’s companion, Salman, exhibition explores Arabic serve landmarks exemplifying tra- who suggested that Medina calligraphy through the ages, ditional Turkish architecture. residents dig the trench to defend covering its many formats and The Seven Mosques is one such the city against Quraish invaders. techniques. The works of art landmark, site of the Battle of A striking feature of the mosques on display will be presented Trench, or Ghazwa-e-Khandaq, is their small size, indicating a in the form of three-dimen- found on the western edge of Sela sparse population of the region sional sculptures and panels. mountain. Here, outnumbered during the time of the Prophet. Muslims dug a trench to defend The Salman Al-Farisi mosque has Jounieh, Lebanon: Medina from Quraish tribes. The just a single 7-metre-long hall that July 2nd-15th mosques are today important sites measures only 2 metres wide. Its for Muslims to visit during Umrah construction began in 1179 and also Jounieh International Festival, and Hajj. underwent refurbishment under set near the panoramic Bay Sultan Abdul Al-Majid, according to of Jounieh, north of Beirut, The mosques are Alyeenbawi. kicks off with a spectacular The Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq mosque fireworks show on the beach. today important is 15 metres southwest of the Sal- This year the festival show- sites for Muslims man Al-Farisi mosque, and named cases French rocker Johnny to visit during after Abu Bakr, the first caliph who Hallyday, stand-up comedian made his Eid prayers there. Djemal Debbouze and the Umrah and Hajj Just a few metres south lay the tour of France’s The Voice Omar bin Al-Khattab mosque. The finalists and semi-finalists. On a recent visit to the Seven details of its origins are vague, al- Mosques, Ibrahim Alyeenbawi, a though its name indicates that Beirut, Lebanon: native of Medina, guided his visi- Omar bin Al-Khattab, the second July 10th-13th tor through the history of the six caliph, may have had prayed there. Visitors take time to meditate between the call for prayer and to ancient mosques and the seventh The mosque features the same ar- teach young children mosque etiquette. Notre Dame de Paris, a French modern structure as dozens of tour chitectural characteristics as the musical, is staged with a fresh buses bringing the faithful from In- Al-Fath mosque, indicating they all-star cast. This world tour donesia, Malaysia and South Asia were constructed during the same Zahra Mosque. Its distinction is it is into the city. Visitors are encour- started in Asia and stops in filled the car park. period. The mosques, in fact, are even smaller — 4 metres by 3 me- aged to visit Masjid Al-Qiblatain Lebanon before scheduled “These mosques are closed now utilitarian and without adornment. tres. The centrepiece of the Seven and the Grave of Hamzah after they dates in Europe and North for restoration, but people continue High on the hilltop above these Mosques historic site is the modern pray at the Prophet’s mosque (Mas- America. to come from all around to under- structures is the Ali bin Abu Talib Al-Khandaq mosque at the base of jid An-Nabi). The refurbished Otto- stand how Muslims from long ago mosque, which is in poor condition the mountain. It boasts a central man railway station, housing the Agadir, Morocco: performed their prayers,” Alyeen- and measuring only 8.5 metres long court and twin minarets. Hejaz Railway Museum, is a perfect July 22nd-25th bawi said. and 6.5 metres wide. A short dis- The Saudi Ministry of Municipal example of Ottoman architecture The most significant of the six tance to the west is the Fatimah Al- and Rural Affairs began renovation that has influenced Saudi building The 12th edition of the annual of the six old mosques in 2009, but designs in surrounding neighbour- Timitar Festival takes place in only the $7 million Al-Khandaq hoods. Agadir and features inter- mosque renovation was completed national and local perfor- yet. What you should know mances. This year’s edition includes international artists How to get there Central Medina is open only to Alpha Blondy, Hani Shaker Muslims. However, non-Muslims and many others. Flights from London to Medina have access to the outlying areas of via Jeddah start at about $700. If the city marked by specific zones. driving from Jeddah, take Route A favourite venue for non-Muslims We welcome submissions of 4050 north to Medina about 410 is Mada’in Saleh, a pre-Islamic ar- kilometres. The drive is about four chaeological site dating to the first calendar items related to hours. century. Mada’in Saleh is about cultural events of interest 375 kilometres north of Medina via to travellers in the Middle What to do Route 328, about a 4-hour drive East and North Africa. from the city. It’s recommended that Muslim visitors stop at the Quba mosque Mohammed Al-Yenbaawi is an Please send tips to: Visitors take a peek at one of the historic mosques to the east of when first arriving in Medina to per- Arab Weekly contributor in Saudi [email protected] the modern Al-Khandaq Mosque. form two raka'as before continuing Arabia.