Al mashreq august 2013 english

New Mercedes S-Class makes Middle East debut Calculative Calendar vs. Traditional Islamic Calendar Man admitted to his involvement in Victoria Islamic Center vandalism Israelis & Palestinians open talks

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Issue No. 51

Associated Press

August 2013

Pope urges ‘mutual respect’ with Islam in personal message & Congratulates Muslims on the feast of Eid al-Fitr ACA. Man who threatened to kill all Worshippers at San Diego Mosque was arrested by Police

U.S. court: No ‘Israel’ on passports of Americans born in Jerusalem

Almashreq/Editorial Staff/Agencies: A federal appeals court on Tuesday invalidated a U.S. law that was designed to allow American citizens born in Jerusalem to have Israel listed as their birthplace on passports. The unanimous ruling by the three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upholds a long-standing U.S. foreign policy that the president - and not lawmakers has sole authority to say who controls the historic holy city claimed by Israelis and Palestinians. Continue on page….

Continue on Page 5

Almashreq/Editorial Staff/Agencies: Pope Francis called on Friday for “mutual respect” between Christianity and Islam and an end to “unfair criticism” in a personal message congratulating Muslims on the feast of Eid al-Fitr.

“We are called to respect the religion of the other, its teachings, its symbols, its values,” he said in a statement distributed by the Vatican press office.

“I have decided to sign this tradi-

tional message myself and to send it to you, dear friends, as an expression of esteem and friendship for all Muslims, especially those who are religious leaders.

“We all know that mutual respect is fundamental in any human relationship, especially among people who profess religious belief,” he said.

The statement was addressed “To Muslims Throughout the World” and the Vatican explained that the

message has been traditional since 1967 but only John Paul II in 1991 previously sent a similar personal message.

The feast of Eid al-Fitr celebrates the end of Ramadan for all Muslims, a period of prayer and fasting.

Francis has called for stronger ties with Islam and the saint he chose for his pontifical title, St Francis of Assisi, is widely respected in the Muslim world.

Almashreq/Editorial Staff/Agencies: Local Muslim organizations urged prosecutors to bring hate crime charges against a man who allegedly walked into a local mosque during early-morning prayers, called worshippers “terrorist rats” and shouted, “I’m going to kill all of you.”

Larry Michael Rodgers, 52, was arrested on suspicion of making terrorist threats after allegedly threatening the congregation of the Islamic Center of San Diego in Clairemont Monday morning.

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Entertainment

August 2013

New Mercedes S-Class makes Middle East debut

Jokes * Three guys, stranded on a desert island, find a magic lantern containing a genie, who grants them each one wish. The first guy wishes he was off the island and back home. The second guy wishes the same. The third guy says “I’m lonely. I wish my friends were back here.” * A guy is sitting at home when he hears a knock at the door. He opens the door and sees a snail on the porch. He picks up the snail and throws it as far as he can. Three years later, there’s a knock on the door. He opens it and sees the same snail. The snail says “What the hell was that all about?”

The new Mercedes-Benz S-Class has been unveiled in the Middle East, Arabian Business reported Thursday.

The S-500 GCC specification will cost $132,000 (485,000 dirhams), 7daysinDubai newspaper reported.

It has a twin-turbo V8 engine with 455 horsepower, and a top speed of 250 kilometers per hour.

“The S-Class has changed automotive development immensely,” and “is the world’s bestselling luxury vehicle,” Wassim Derbi, marketing manager of Mercedes-Benz distributor Gargash Enterprises, told Arabian Business.

More than 64,000 V220 and V221 models have been sold in the Middle East, Derbi added.

The S-Class has been the iconic model of Mercedes-Benz for over 50 years.

Since the launch of the 220 model in 1999, the company has reported sales of 3.5 million units of its multiple variations worldwide.

Fuel consumption has been reduced by up to 20 percent in the 2014 version.

“The new S-Class achieves consumption and emissions figures that only a few years ago seemed utopian, even for executive cars,” Professor Thomas Weber, head of car development at Mercedes-Benz, told 7daysinDubai.

* A guy shows up late for work. The boss yells “You should have been here at 8:30!” he replies: “Why? What happened at 8:30?” * A young boy enters a barber shop and the barber whispers to his customer, “This is the dumbest kid in the world. Watch while I prove it to you.” The barber puts a dollar bill in one hand and two quarters in the other, then calls the boy over and asks, “Which do you want, son?” The boy takes the quarters and leaves. “What did I tell you?” said the barber. “That kid never learns!” Later, when the customer leaves, he sees the same young boy coming out of the ice cream store. “Hey, son! May I ask you a question? Why did you take the quarters instead of the dollar bill?” The boy licked his cone and replied, “Because the day I take the dollar, the game is over!”

Future of Dubai property market ‘very strong’

Arab countries to participate in 70th Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival marks its 70th edition with films starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock as astronauts adrift in space, Scarlett Johanseen as a seductive alien roaming the Scottish countryside and Judi Dench as a single Roman Catholic woman searching for a son she was forced to give up decades before.

The Festival will take place from 28 August until 7 September.

Festival director Alberto Barbera concedes that many of the films in the line-up announced Thursday are bleak in their outlook, particularly the ones from countries hit by the ongoing economic crisis.

“Cinema mirrors reality, so we can’t complain if auteur films today gives us an image of our times that is not consoling,” Barbera told a news conference.

Twenty films will vie for the coveted Golden Lion at the world’s oldest film festival, with a jury headed by Bernardo Bertolucci.

The films include Terry Gilliam’s “The Zero Theorem,” starring Christoph Waltz as a reclusive computer genius, and Peter Landesman’s “Parkland,” which examines the chaotic events at Dallas’ Parkland hospital the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

Indie director Kelly Reichardt returns to Venice with “Night Moves,” starring Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning and Peter

Sarsgaard as environmental activists plotting to blow up a dam.

Johansson appears in Jonathan Glazer’s highly anticipated science fiction thriller “Under the Skin,” while Dench stars in Stephen Frears’ “Philomena.”

Director Alfonso Cuaron’s “Gravity,” starring Clooney and Bullock, will open the festival and is among 17 films showing out of competition. Thierry Ragobert’s documentary “Amazonia” closes the event on September 7.

The Venice Film Festival is strong on independent, auteur

films and light on blockbusters, a delicate point for organisers competing with Cannes, which shows in the spring, and Toronto, which overlaps with Venice.

“Venice on paper takes more risks — for example, taking two documentaries in competition, a first by any festival, and organising an auteur cinema to support and promote these films,” said Barbera.

Arab directors participating in this year’s edition include Algerian Merzak Allouache, presenting “Es-Stouh,” and Morrocan Gianni Borgna and Enrico Menduni, showcasing their documentary “L’Africa di Pasolini.”

The festival is also sponsoring a workshop to support African films in post-production, which will include “The Cat” by Egypt’s Ibrahim El-Batout and “Challat Tunes” by Tunisia’s Kaouther Ben Hania.

Ibrahim El-Batout participated in the 2012 Festival, premiering an independent film entitled “Winter of Discontent.”

The film portrays the lives of a state security officer, a political activist, and a journalist during the 18-day revolution that led to the ouster of former president Hosni Mubarak in February 2011.

Dubai’s largest private sector real estate developer, Damac Properties, is very optimistic about the market’s future, and the company’s position in it, its chairman told the Financial Times.

“The market in the next three years will be very strong, especially in the high end,” the FT quoted Hussein Sajwani as saying.

Damac is currently focused on delivering hotel apartments in Downtown Dubai, a luxurious district that attracts over 65 million visitors every year, and has become a hub for people coming to view the world’s tallest tower, Burj Khalifa, according to a company press release.

“Even with more hotels coming online in the next few years, Dubai’s exponential growth as an attractive global tourist and business destination will see demand exceed supply by 2016,” said Ziad elChaar, Damac’s managing director.

The company is considering a listing at the London stock market amid its renewed expansion plans, Sajwani said.

“We learn from mistakes and learn from our history… We will only carry projects the market can absorb,” said Sajwani.

In the past, real estate developers in

Dubai agreed major deals with buyers despite projects still being on paper, or construction having barely begun.

Also, banks gave people large amounts in mortgages and loans without solid guarantees.

Other projects to be completed this year

by Damac include Capital Bay, The Cosmopolitan, Water’s Edge and The Vogue.

The Distinction, Upper Crest, Bay’s Edge, and Damac Towers will reportedly open by 2016.

Since its foundation in 2002, Damac has launched tens of projects in Dubai, and has expanded into several countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

The company was hit hard by the global economic downturn in 2008, which badly affected Dubai’s property market.

Damac cut staff and renegotiated contractors in efforts to salvage the business, amid a rise in lawsuits and a drop in customer confidence, the FT reported.

The company won 90 percent of legal claims against it, Sajwani told the newspaper. He rejected “100 percent” rumors that Dubai’s government or Iranian investors had secretly bailed out Damac.

Cooking & Recipes Shish Tawook Marinated Chicken ingredients

Dipping Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

• 2 tablespoons plain low-fat yogurt

• 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt

• 2 tablespoons ketchup

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tablespoons prepared mustard

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder • 2 teaspoons paprika • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation :

In a medium bowl, stir together oil, yogurt, ketchup, and mustard. Season with garlic powder, paprika, allspice, black pepper, cinnamon, and curry powder. Stir in chicken pieces, coating all sides with marinade. Cover bowl, and refrigerate overnight.

To make dipping sauce, mix together mayonnaise, yogurt, garlic, and salt. Cover, and refrigerate. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Transfer chicken pieces to a shallow baking dish. Bake in a preheated oven 30 minutes.

• 1/4 teaspoon curry powder (optional) • 3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into bite-size pieces

Persian Cucumber Yogurt (Maast-o Khiar)

“This cool and healthy dip can be served along side rice and meat, or simply with bread. No Persian meal is complete without Maast-o khiar! This dish is best if refrigerated for a few hours, but if you are strapped for time feel free to serve after mixing.”

ingredients • • • • • • •

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1 (32 ounce) container plain yogurt 3 English cucumbers, peeled and cubed 1 clove garlic, minced 1 shallot, finely chopped 5 tablespoons dried dill weed 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper

Preparation :

In a medium bowl, stir together the yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, and shallot. Season with dill, salt and pepper. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to blend flavors.

4

Articles

August 2013

Calculative Calendar vs. Traditional Islamic Calendar Muslims across the globe celebrate the holy night of (AL-Qadr) in the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan as follows: the nights of the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th and 29th day of Ramadan However, Muslims are traditionally settled to host their main celebration of the “holy night” on the night of the 27th day of Ramadan, which would have been on Saturday, August 3rd, for those in America who followed the calculation of ISNA and started the holy month on Tuesday, July 9th or on Sunday, August 4th, for others in America and most of the Muslim world who started the holy month on Wednesday, July 9th, ac-

cording the announcement of the KSA and other Muslim countries.

Moreover, According to the teachings of Islam, the (Al-Qadr) night is a special night, whereby, all angels and souls land on the earth, prayers are accepted, and wishes are fulfilled.

This is really wonderful, but I am not quite sure, if the angels were dispatched under ISNA’s calendar or the KSA. In fact, ever since, the Islamic Society of North America “ISNA”; which plays a very influential role among the religious circle and institutions in the U.S; adopted its own method of calculation, American Muslims have been using a religious calendar that is noticeably different from the rest of the Muslims in the world.

Pro-ISNA Muslims in the U.S argues that adopting a fixed calculative calendar helps the Muslim minority in the U.S to avoid work and school conflicts, by scheduling their religious celebrations and holidays in advance, while, waiting for such events to be determined by the Muslim world according to their last minute eye-moon-sighting used in the traditional Islamic calendar, will cause a great deal of inconvenience and confusion for Muslims in the U.S. On the other side, opponents of the fixed calculative calendar raises two issues in their counter argument; first, stating that the refusal of mainstream Islamic jurists and jurisdictional institutions to the use of a precalculated calendar to determine the dates of the Islamic lunar months, and secondly, claiming that adopting an Islamic calculation

The choices of the Muslim Brotherhood It can be argued that the Muslim Brotherhood have only two options left to deal with their dilemma. They can continue demonstrations, sit- ins and carrying weapons to engage in violent acts. This could lead to severe damage to the organisation itself. Or they could be wise and withdraw from the street after striking a deal with the army.

This deal should be guaranteed through an honest broker to tackle mistrust between the two sides.

It seems from developing events in Sinai, Rabaa Al-Adawiya and the recent killings of some protesters in Tahrir Square after clashes between pro and anti-Morsi supporters, that the first option prevails. It is a suicide for the Muslim Brotherhood group if the daily level of violence and clashes continues for long. The inhabitants of Rabaa expressed their anger and frustration at pro-Morsi supporters commandeering their neighbourhood. So it is a matter of time before protesters are forcibly evacuated from this area.

It is believed that the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood, especially the supreme guide, Mohamed Badie, and Mohamed Al-Beltagi, might put the group and Egypt in danger of escalated violence and instability. They are in denial that the ousted president cannot return to office. There is an imbalance of power between them and the current regime. It looks like they did not learn the lesson of their confrontation with President Nasser in the 1950s. The group’s leadership at the time refused what Nasser offered them, and wanted to be in a leading position. They should read what happened in front of the Republican Guard compound as a sign of who has the upper hand if it comes to using force to settle

differences. This scenario is suicide and a historical sin by the organisation’s current leadership. It is also against the interests of Egypt, which needs to tackle pressing economic issues such as employment, food insecurity and poverty.

The other option requires mediation between the army and the group’s leadership. The current regime should engage with the second generation of Islamists if the first generation and current leadership are unwilling to negotiate a solution in order to stop violence and disturbance in the daily life of Egyptians. Badie, the supreme guide, Al-Beltagi and others have a historic responsibility to read the political scene and bow to the public interest in Egypt. The US, the EU, Qatar and Saudi Arabia could sponsor a deal that protects the organisation from oppression and facilitates their involvement in the transitional period. Excluding pro-Morsi currents will be a disaster since they are Egyptians and might resort to violence as Islamists did in the 1940s, 1980s and 1990s. There is anger within the organisation with regard to the management of the crisis by the supreme guide, and those angry voices could be the new generation of Muslim Brotherhood leaders that can be involved in negotiations if the current leadership refuses any deal to end tensions and violence.

It should be noted that it was the first time in its history since 1928 that the Muslim Brotherhood was in power, and that it is very hard for them to let go without a fight. Throughout the history of the organisation, using force and violence was a main characteristic when they are — or think they are — powerful. For example, the assassination of Al-Noukrashi, the prime minister, in 1948 was a clear example. In addition, they view the political game as zero-sum where they win everything or lose the same. Thus they tried to control all parliamentary committees after they won a majority in

It was even sadder to see a respected news agency such as Agence France Presse having to retract an article referring to the above. But who could blame AFP for trusting a news channel that claims to be the most-watched in the region?

This article is not about ratings. It is about a sincere concern regarding the credibility of one of the region’s main media players. The original Al-Jazeera press release, posted on its Arabic website on 22 May 2013, said the network’s main Arabic channel was the most watched, according to a study conducted jointly by two agencies, Ipsos and Sigma.

However, it later became evident that the study never took place. “We quoted the news from Al-Jazeera itself. However, Ipsos, the firm said to have conducted the survey, said it had studied only 11 Middle Eastern countries, and that no other joint survey regarding Arab news channel viewership was carried out,” an AFP spokesperson told Asharq Al-Awsat earlier this month.

The Saudi Gazette quoted a source at Ipsos saying the study “doesn’t exist.”

Ever since, Al-Jazeera has been on the

The Arab Spring effect Al-Jazeera’s top executive gave AFP an interview to explain the network’s position on the matter. “We have decided to publish those results in response to a campaign facing us after the Arab revolutions,” Director-General Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim al-Thani told AFP. “Many sides have attempted to spread rumors claiming that our level of audience has dropped.”

As noted by AFP in a follow-up report, Al-Jazeera is believed to be facing challenges in maintaining its audience share, amid competition from local TV channels, and in the face of public opinion over the network’s support for new Islamist governments in the region, following the Arab Spring.

Many people believe that Al-Jazeera is merely an extension of the foreign policies of its owners, and its owners - the Qatari government - have been widely

Lastly, I do not think that there has not been enough intellectual discussion in the Muslim community to go one way or the other!

elections in 2012. I asked Mohamed Al-Beltagi in a meeting to avoid the logic of controlling everything and excluding others. Although he promised to think about it, nothing happened. This carried on when ousted president Morsi put his people all across the state apparatus.

When they are weak the Muslim Brotherhood tends to cooperate with others and accept compromises. For example, during the Mubarak era they did not compete in many parliamentarian seats. They did not nominate anyone from their members to be chairman of any professional syndicate.

It can be said that they are still strong but have lost credibility amongst Egyptians since they came to power. They are not victims anymore, as they were stereotyped for a long time. They are not in a strong position in comparison to the pre-January 25 Revolution period.

The ideal scenario for the Muslim Brothers and Egypt is to strike a deal with the current regime. They should learn from their founder, Hassan Al-Banna, when he withdrew his candidacy for parliament in return for more branches for the organisation and the closing of brothels.

Finally, it should be noted that the Islamic project in the Arab world is almost over in the foreseeable future. It is up to the organisation’s leadership to protect itself from being targeted in Egypt since they are against a wide sector of society and the state apparatus.

I defended the Muslim Brotherhood for years and I still believe that they should be included in the political scene.

They could weaken their group if they escalate a war to bring Morsi back. And if this happens the organisation will be very weak for decades. I think and hope that the voice of wisdom will lead to a deal to end violence and instability.

By, Faisal J. Abbas launch keeps getting delayed, that it has so far been unable to hire an American senior team, and that the rumored shortlist of potential ‘presidents’ include several people who have driven US cable networks to a level of utter mediocrity.

defensive, insisting that despite all of the above, it stands behind its figures and ranking.

It went on to publish two separate statements from Ipsos and Sigma on its English website, confirming that both conducted studies (in separate areas) on behalf of Al-Jazeera, and that each agency stands by their numbers in the respective countries where they operate. There was also an admission by Ipsos that they were requested by Al-Jazeera to combine Sigma’s figures with their own; however, the agency went on to state that they can only “affirm the accuracy resulting in the 11 MENA countries covered by Ipsos and claim full responsibility for it.”

of the lunar months based on the U.S, will result in creating an Islamic calendar which will be always in conflict with the calendar used by the vast majority of the Muslim countries, because of the U.S geographical location in the west of the earth and the time difference between the Middle East. According to this argument, the crescent will always be big enough and visible in the American continent, due to the 12-16 hours’ time zone difference with the Middle East. In another word, when the crescent is too small to be sighted in the Middle East on the 29th night of any Islamic lunar month, it will be definitely big enough 16 hours later in the American continent.

By, Said Shehata

Is Al-Jazeera really number one?

Times must be turbulent at Al-Jazeera. It was incredibly sad to see the Qatari stateowned broadcaster resort to citing a seemingly non-existent study to claim that it is the most-watched channel in the Middle East and North Africa.

By, Dr. Mohammad Riyad

Burman also has something to say about the growing government role in running Al-Jazeera. “During the period 20082010, when I was in Doha as managing director of Al-Jazeera English, I never sensed any involvement by Qatar’s government in our journalism. However, that was then and this is now,” he said.

criticized in countries such as Egypt and Tunisia for supporting Islamists.

The fact that Al-Jazeera in September 2011 replaced its long-standing head and veteran journalist Wadah Khanfar with a member of the Qatari royal family (who previously worked as an executive at Qatar Gas) adds to the questions raised regarding the channel’s independence.

Last February, Spiegel Online reported on a number of Al-Jazeera’s top journalists quitting in objection to “a clear political agenda.” One former correspondent told Spiegel that “executives ordered that [Egyptian President Mohammad] Mursi’s decrees should be treated as pearls of wisdom. Such a dictatorial approach would have been unthinkable before.”

Al-Jazeera America More recently, Tony Burman, the former head of Al-Jazeera English, warned that Al-Jazeera America seems to have an “odor of disaster.” Writing in the Toronto Star, Burman noted that the American

“The Qatari government now assumes a far greater importance in the Middle East than when I was in Doha. And I am certain Al-Jazeera’s performance is now closely monitored, if not influenced, by Qatar’s government. I do know there was no feeling within Al-Jazeera when I was in Doha that the American project should assume the financial importance it now does. To me, that inevitably was a decision by the Qatari government,” he added.

Given all this, Al-Jazeera’s management is right to be concerned about ratings and viewership. We at Al Arabiya sincerely believe that healthy competition is always necessary, so we wish our colleagues in Doha all the best. However, they must remember that our field is journalism, where the rule is very simple: you are only as good as your last story. Judging by the last couple of stories coming out of Al-Jazeera, they are far from being number one and there is indeed, much work to be done in Qatar.

www.almashreqonline.com

5

National

August 2013

Muslim Woman Harassed Man admitted to his involvement in Victoria Islamic Center vandalism Over Religious Headwear Almashreq/Editorial Staff/ ing the front of the Islamic The Islamic Center’s Agencies: Victoria Texas: center with “H8,” a comimam, Osama Hassan, While Taking Bar Exam A man has admitted to his puter shorthand for “hate.” reported the vandalism

Almashreq/Editorial Staff/ Agencies: It seems that this bar examinee was wearing a hijab, a scarf meant to cover the head and chest, and she had received prior permission from the Massachusetts Board of Bar Examiners to wear it for religious reasons .Nevertheless, a proctor interrupted her with this note while she was taking the exam: “Headwear may not be worn during the examination without prior written approval.” But the woman in question reports that she had received such approval

While “headwear including hats, scarves, caps, hoods, bandanas, visors, costume headgear or sunglasses” are prohibited from the examination room, religious headwear is permitted. “Headwear that has been granted prior approval by the Board of Bar Examiners for religious or medical reasons only,” according to the Massachusetts Board of Bar Examiners’ security policy.

Such religious headwear includes Jewish yarmulkes, Muslim hijabs and Sikh dastars.

TSA corruption, misconduct rose 26% in three years Almashreq/Editorial Staff/ Agencies: A new government report has found a surge in employee misconduct at the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) with a 26 percent rise in reported incidents over the past three years.

TSA agents were cited in more than 9,600 cases of misconduct from 2010 to 2013, 1,900 of which were classified as security threats, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office released on Tuesday. The report detailed cases of stealing from luggage, sleeping on the job, leaving work without permission, and allowing friends and relatives to bypass security screening procedures, among other incidents. About 10 percent of complaints against TSA employees involved inappropriate comments or abusive behavior, the report said. The GAO report highlights 56 cases in which TSA agents at airports across the US were caught stealing significant amounts of money and valuables from passengers’ baggage. In one incident in 2011, an agent at Or-

lando (Fla.) International Airport stole over 80 laptops and other electronic devices worth a total of $80,000. Two former TSA employees also admitted to stealing $40,000 from a passenger’s luggage at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. The report also cites one case of a TSA agent who tried to carry a relative’s bag past security without screening. The bag was later found to have contained “numerous prohibited items.” Lawmakers criticized the TSA over the increased cases of misconduct. “It’s disgraceful,” said Rep. John Mica, Republican from Florida who called for the GAO report, at a congressional hearing. “People don’t show up for work, there’s a great cost to the taxpayers and great disruption.” “There’s not even a way to properly report some of the offenses, so this may be just the tip of the iceberg of some of the offenses,” the lawmaker commented. The report also finds that punishments meted out for TSA agents are often not consistent with the seriousness of their misconduct.

Texas abortion legislation raises concerns Almashreq/Editorial Staff/ Agencies: Health officials fear new ban on abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy might force clinics to close in US state.

There are concerns that the new ban on abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy in the US state of Texas could put women’s lives at risk. The legislation, among

other things, requires abortion providers to upgrade their facilities. These are costly measures that critics say are unnecessary and could force clinics to close their doors for good. Health officials fear that a black market in so-called ‘abortion pills’ could fill the gap - if clinics are forced to close.

Chicago workers take factory over from bosses Almashreq/Editorial Staff/ Agencies: When faced with losing their jobs, workers at Republic Windows decided to run the business themselves. Amid the precarious jobs market in the US, a group of workers in one

Chicago factory have taken matters into their own hands.

When faced with losing their jobs at Republic Windows, they decided to take the business over from the bosses and rename it the New Era Windows Cooperative.

Cleveland kidnapper gets life in prison Almashreq/Editorial Staff/ Agencies: Ariel Castro sentenced for abducting, raping and holding captive three women in his home in Ohio for over a decade. Cleveland kidnapper Ariel Castro has been sentenced to life in prison for abducting, raping and holding captive three women for as long as 11 years, and murder for forcing one of the women to abort her pregnancy. Judge Michael Russo in Ohio imposed the prison sentence after an emotional court hearing on Thursday at which one of Castro’s victims, Michelle Knight, 32, said the former school bus driver put her through a life of hell. “I served 11 years of hell.

Now your hell is just beginning,” Knight said of Castro in a statement read to the court. www.almashreqonline.com

Castro pleaded guilty last week to hundreds of criminal charges to avoid the possibility of the death penalty. Wearing leg shackles and dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit, Castro listened to her testimony without expression. Amanda Berry, 27, Gina DeJesus, 23 and Knight, all went missing from the west side of Cleveland between 2002 and 2004.

They were discovered on May 6 after neighbor heard Berry’s cries for help from Castro’s home. Castro admitted at the hearing that he was a sick man but said he is not the monster described by prosecutors. Castro delivered a rambling statement to the court, saying that he made no excuses for his behavior, which he said was “wrong”.

involvement in Wednesday’s Victoria Islamic Center/vandalism, Victoria police said Thursday.

Victoria Police Chief J.J. Craig said the man, whose identity and age cannot yet be released because he has not been charged, came forward about 3 p.m.

Thursday admitting he was responsible for spray-paint-

“We’re continuing to talk to this individual,” Craig said. “It’s being investigated as a criminal matter, an act of graffiti at a place of worship, which includes the possibility of a hate crime. But at this time, the facts around the event are still being explored.”

Wednesday morning. The crime coincided with the start of Ramadan, the holiest month in Islam.

The incident went viral after the Advocate broke the story Wednesday.

The case is receiving national attention as a hate crime.

Muslims rally to support of Sikhs in vandalism case Almashreq/Editorial Staff/Agencies: An area Muslim group has shown its support for people of a different faith who were victims of what is being called a hate crime.

On Monday night, July 29, someone wrote “terrorist” on the wall outside the gurdwdara, or place of worship, for Sikhs in Jurupa Valley. Officials there reported the graffiti has a hate crime to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department on Tuesday.

Wednesday, the Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) issued a news release expressing concern about the vandalism.

“We stand in solidarity with the Sikh community and against the actions of a tiny minority of bigots who violate our nation’s longstanding principles of religious tolerance and inclusion,” said CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush. “As we have stated many times, an attack on any house of worship is an attack on all houses of worship.”

Ayloush said that CAIR has spoken out a number of times against biasmotivated attacks on American Sikhs.

Sikh men who wear beards and turbans as part of their faith are often targeted by bigots who mistake them for Muslims, Ayloush said.

CAIR recently called on local and national law enforcement authorities to investigate a possible bias motive for similar acts of vandalism targeting mosques nationwide.

In May, CAIR began distributing new safety and security guidelines to mosques and other houses of worship nationwide. The new CAIR publication, “Best Practices for Mosque and

Community Safety,” was produced in response to recent bias attacks, including a series of incidents last year targeting American Muslim institutions.

Community leaders may request a free copy of CAIR’s “Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety,” by going cair.com/mosque-safetyguide.html.

Also Wednesday, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund said it had been in contact with the Sheriff’s Department, Riverside Police Department, the FBI and the Department of Justice, urging them to investigate the vandalism in Jurupa Valley as a hate crime.

“It is horrible to see an attack of hate on a place of worship as we reflect on the lives lost one year ago during the attack on the Oak Creek Gurdwara (six people in Wisconsin were slain),

the statement said.

“Attacks and vandalism against any of the nation’s houses of worship must be condemned by all Americans.

These acts strike the very foundation of religious tolerance, a fundamental freedom this country was built upon,” Executive Director Jasjit Singh said.

“We call upon local and federal law enforcement agencies to rightfully classify this incident as a hate crime and bring the perpetrators to justice to show that hate and violence are not tolerated in our society.”

Riverside County Sheriff’s Sgt. Lisa McConnell said investigators are working on the case.

“Deputies are actively patrolling the area,” McConnell wrote in an email.

“We are asking for the public’s help to report any information which can lead to the identification of any potential suspect(s).”

Media Admits Televisions Can Spy On You Almashreq/Editorial Staff/ Agencies: Home tech capable of surveillance has been for years. In the wake of alternative media, mainstream outlets are now finally admitting that ‘smart’ televisions available to the public are capable of spying on its viewers. A CNN

article published yesterday entitled Your TV might be watching you says: The flaws in Samsung Smart TVs, which have now been patched, enabled hackers to remotely turn on the TVs’ built-in cameras without leaving any trace of it on the screen. While you’re

watching TV, a hacker anywhere around the world could have been watching you. Hackers also could have easily rerouted an unsuspecting user to a malicious website to steal bank account information. Security cameras, lights, heating control systems and

even door locks and windows are now increasingly coming with features that allow users to control them remotely. Without proper security controls, there’s little to stop hackers from invading users’ privacy, stealing personal information or spying on people.

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U.S. court: No ‘Israel’ on passports of Americans born in Jerusalem In the U.S. government, the president “exclusively holds the power to determine whether to recognize a foreign sovereign,” wrote Judge Karen Henderson for the panel. Since the founding of Israel in 1948, U.S. presidents have declined to state a position on the status of Jerusalem, leaving it as one of the thorniest issues to be resolved in possible future peace talks. The State Department, which issues passports and reports to the president, has declined to enforce the law passed by Congress in 2002, saying it violated the separation of executive and legislative powers laid out in the U.S. Constitution. When President George W. Bush signed the law, he said that if construed as mandatory rather than advisory, it would “impermissibly interfere” with the president’s authority to speak for the country in international affairs. Ari and Naomi Zivotofsky, whose son Menachem was born in Jerusalem and is a U.S. citizen, filed a lawsuit in 2003 demanding that the government enforce the law. Menachem’s passport lists the city of birth as Jerusalem and does not mention a country.

The issue reached the U.S. Supreme Court last year on the preliminary question of whether it was so political that it did not belong in the courts.

The high court ruled 8-1 that the case could proceed, setting up Tuesday’s ruling. The Zivotofskys plan to ask the high court’s opinion again, their lawyer, Nathan Lewin, said on Tuesday. “Today’s majority and concurring decisions acknowledge that the constitutional issue presented by this case is significant and calls for resolution by the Supreme Court,” Lewin

said in a statement. An estimated 50,000 American citizens were born in Jerusalem and could have used the law, if it were enforced, to list Israel as their birthplace. While Israel calls Jerusalem its eternal and indivisible capital, few other countries accept that status. Most, including the United States, maintain their embassies to Israel in Tel Aviv. Palestinians want East Jerusalem, captured by Israel in 1967, as capital of the state they aim to establish in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, alongside Israel.

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National

August 2013

US couple facing murder charge in Qatar Trayvon Martin›s Staff/Agencies: An American cou- the eyes, which is a standard way to diagnose dehydration. parents lead rallies in US Almashreq/Editorial ple are facing murder charges in Qatar over the death of Her bodily fluids were tested only for drugs, poison and Thousands rally in New York and elsewhere as anger over acquittal in case of shooting of black teen continues

Almashreq/Editorial Staff/ Agencies: Trayvon Martin’s parents have been joined by celebrities, civil rights activists and other protesters as they led rallies in New York and Florida to show their anger at the acquittal of the neighbourhood watch volunteer who shot and killed their unarmed teenage son.

Sybrina Fulton led a protest of more than 1,000 people in New York, along with veteran civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton, where she told the crowd that the picture painted of her son, Trayvon, during the trial depicted a man she did not recognise.

“He was a child,” she said during her speech to the hundreds-strong crowd.

“We have moved on from the verdict. Of course we’re hurting of course we’re shocked and disappointed, but that just means we have to roll up our sleeves and continue to fight.”

Singers Jay Z and Beyonce also came out to the New York rally.

In Miami, a crowd of hundreds singing the protest song “We Shall Overcome” joined Trayvon’s father, Tracy Martin, to demand that George Zimmerman, acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter exactly a week ago, face civil charges.

Al Jazeera’s Cath Turner, reporting from New York, said that the Martins and other organisers had continually called for the protests to remain peaceful.

“There is still a lot of emotion one week after the sentence was handed down. The purpose of these rallies is to pressure the Department of Justice in to bringing civil charges against George Zimmerman,” our correspondent said.

Racial debate Zimmerman has always maintained he shot Trayvon in self defence.

Critics contend Zimmerman, who is white and Hispanic, wrongly suspected Martin, 17, of being a criminal because he was black.

Zimmerman called police to report Martin, then left his car with a loaded handgun concealed in his waistband.

A fight ensued in which Zimmerman suffered a bloody nose and head injuries before he shot Martin once in the heart.

Marches, under the banner of “Justice for Trayvon”, also took place at federal courthouses in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta and dozens of other cities.

Violence at protests earlier this week led to arrests in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area.

‘Insult to injury’ Speaking at the White House on Friday, President Barack Obama cautioned against violence, as he urged all Americans to try to understand the Martin case from the perspective of African-Americans.

“There is a history of racial disparities in the application of our criminal laws,” he said.

“A lot of African American boys are painted with a broad brush ... If a white male teen was involved in the same kind of scenario ... both the outcome and the aftermath might have been different.”

Beverly Bond from the mentoring group Black Girls Rock told Al Jazeera that the black community wanted people to know that this was not an isolated incident.

“This is an injustice we have seen in our community over and over and over again. It is amazing to me that people don’t know why we’re upset,” she said.

“The trial added insult to injury because it was like he was being put on trial for his own murder.”

FBI rescues 105 child sex trafficking victims, arrests 150

their young adopted daughter, in a case which lawyers and medical experts in the US say is based on shoddy evidence and poor science. A campaign has been launched in the US over the arrest of Matthew and Grace Huang in January after the death of their nine-year-old daughter, Gloria, who was adopted from Ghana. According to the California Innocence Project (CIP), a US-based organization which works on what it believes to be wrongful prosecutions, the Huangs have been denied bail, and their two other children - also adopted from African countries - have not been allowed to leave the country. If found guilty, the Huangs could face the death penalty under Qatari law, although there has been an effective moratorium on executions for the last 10 years. The Qatari public prosecutor’s office was unavailable for comment on the case. The CIP cited Qatari investigative reports which suggested that the couple “bought” their children in order to harvest their organs or conduct medical experiments, and accused them of starving their daughter. The medical examiner told a court that Gloria appeared emaciated. But a report prepared by an independent pathologist in the US, who specializes in child autopsies, found no solid evidence to support the conclusions of the Qatari medical examiner’s investigation.

“This is a case of faulty science and what appear to be racial and cultural misunderstandings by the Qatari officials about American norms regarding international adoptions,” said a statement from the CIP. ‘A combination of factors’ Gloria’s death certificate, issued by Qatar’s supreme council of health, listed the causes of death as “cachexia and dehydration”. Cachexia, commonly known as “wasting syndrome”, can produce symptoms that look similar to starvation, including weight loss and muscle atrophy.

It can be caused by a range of conditions, including congestive heart failure and autoimmune diseases. According to the independent report, however, the medical examiner in Doha did not test for any of these. Gloria had previously been diagnosed with a low white blood cell count, which could suggest an underlying medical condition, according to a source familiar with her medical history. She also suffered from giardia when she was adopted, an infection which is difficult to completely eliminate. Doctors also did not test her “vitreous humour”, the clear gel inside

semen, and all tests were negative. The medical examiner said in court that starvation or malnutrition could have contributed to her death. But family acquaintances have said in affidavits that Gloria was walking around her house the night before she died, which would be virtually impossible for a child dying of starvation. The Huangs have acknowledged that their daughter suffered from an eating disorder, which they attribute to an early childhood spent in extreme poverty in Ghana. “The report does not indicate that the many fluid, blood and tissue analyses that were necessary to rule out other potential causes were ever done,” said the independent report, prepared by Dr Janice Ophoven. A copy of the report was reviewed “The likely reality is that Gloria’s death was caused by a combination of factors and that there is not evidence that her parents were intentionally starving her.” ‘Hereditary traits’ People working with the Huangs have also suggested that the case was fuelled by “cultural misunderstandings”. The Huangs are of Chinese descent, and their three children are from Ghana and Uganda.

The CIP said investigative reports wonder why the couple adopted children who were not “good-looking” and did not share their “hereditary traits”. The reports also suggest that the Huangs may have been involved in human trafficking, the CIP says. Yet this sort of adoption is quite common in the US: American families have adopted nearly 17,000 children from African countries since 1999, according to State Department statistics. The Huangs’ three children were all adopted through an established agency.

The CIP said that the Huangs moved to Doha last year with their three children. Matthew was an engineer working on a water purification project related to the 2022 World Cup, which will be hosted in Qatar. The couples have denied the charges, and are scheduled for another hearing when Qatar’s courts return from their summer recess. “The family remains concerned by the Qatari officials who fail to understand the pain of losing a child to a rare and deadly syndrome” said the David House Agency, a California-based organization which is working with the family. “They are also disappointed that the Qatari courts have denied the bail of Matthew and Grace and have refused to allow their other children to leave Qatar to be cared for by extended family members.”

US jobless rate falls to 4-year low Almashreq/Editorial Staff/Agencies: Employers slowed their pace of hiring in July but jobless rate fell anyway with two tenths of a point to 7.4 percent. US employers slowed their pace of hiring in July but the jobless rate fell anyway, mixed signals that could make the US Federal Reserve more cautious about drawing down its huge economic stimulus program. The number of jobs outside the farming sector increased by 162,000, the Labor Department said on Friday. That was below the median forecast in a Reuter news agency poll of 184,000. Compounding that miss,

the government also cut its previous estimates for hiring in May and June.

At the same time, the jobless rate fell two tenths of a point to 7.4 percent, its lowest in over four years. Americans worked fewer hour and their pay dipped. The figures suggested weak economic growth may be making businesses cautious about hiring. Reaction to the jobs report on financial markets was slightly negative.Stock index futures gave up early gains and were little changed shortly after the report came out. The job gains were mostly in lower-paying industries, such as retail, ho-

tels and restaurants. But some positions were added in better-paying areas.

Manufacturing added 6,000 jobs, driven by strong gains at auto plants. Those were the first job gains at US factories since February. Economic growth remains sluggish. The economy grew at a 1.7 percent annual rate in AprilJune quarter, the government said on Wednesday. While that was an improvement over the previous two quarters, it is still far too weak to rapidly lower unemployment. Recent data suggest that the economy could strengthen in the second half of the year.

US orders release of justification for spying

Court tells government to publish legal basis for Prism program›s warrantless monitoring of millions of communications Almashreq/Editorial Staff/ Agencies: In the largest child sex-trafficking raid in US history, law enforcement authorities arrested 150 pimps and freed 105 children across the country over the weekend. Speaking on Monday in Washington, Ron Hosko, the assistant director of the FBI’s criminal investigative division said the three-day operation covered 76 cities and involved 230 federal, state and local law enforcement groups.

“Sex trafficking among children remains one of the most prevalent, violent and unconscionable crimes in this country,” Hosko said. “Those who exploit children should know that we, this team, will continue to seek them out and to bring them to justice.” Most of the arrests were made in San Francisco, Detroit, Denver and New Orleans and most of the victims were girls between the ages of 13 to 17.

However, those arrested appear to be low-level operators and not the main perpetrators, according to Dr. Kevin Barrett, a Wisconsin based activist and journalist. Dr. Barrett says rogue elements of various police and intelligence services, as well as top-tier organized crime outfits, employ child prostitution rings to obtain blackmail material on politicians, judges, military and intelligence officers in the US. Elite pedophile networks connected to elements of the CIA, including the “Finders of Lost Children” and the Franklin Scandal group, have operated shamelessly and without fear of prosecution for decades, Barrett wrote in an article published . Since 2003, some 1,350 people have been convicted in child trafficking and related cases and 2,700 children have been rescued in raids across the US, the FBI said.

Almashreq/Editorial Staff/ Agencies: A US court has ordered the Obama administration to declassify a 2008 court decision justifying the Prism spying program revealed last month by whistleblower Edward Snowden.

The ruling, issued earlier this week, will show how the state has legally justified its covert data collection program under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Judge Reggie Walton of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court issued the ruling to declassify the decision. The government is expected to decide by August 26 which parts of the 2008 decision may be published.

The scope and scale of Prism, which collects millions of private foreign communications with American citizens, was leaked to the media last month by Snowden. Its operation is overseen by the FIS Court

and its appeals body, the FIS Court of Review.

The ruling to declassify comes after a challenge by the internet firm, Yahoo, on the constitutionality of the program.

It and a number of internet firms including Facebook, Google, AOL and Microsoft, were compelled to provide information to the National Security Agency (NSA), which runs Prism.

A statement from Yahoo on Tuesday said that it was “very pleased” with the court’s ruling.

“Once those documents are made public, we believe they will contribute constructively to the ongoing public discussion around online privacy,” Yahoo said.

NSA sued Meanwhile, 19 organizations represented by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has filed a suit against the NSA for violating their right of association

by illegally collecting their call records.

The coalition includes Unitarian church group, gun ownership advocates, and a broad coalition of membership and political advocacy groups.

“The First Amendment protects the freedom to associate and express political views as a group, but the NSA’s mass, untargeted collection of Americans’ phone records violates that right by giving the government a dramatically detailed picture into our associational ties,” Cindy Cohn, the legal director for the EFF, said.

“Who we call, how often we call them, and how long we speak shows the government what groups we belong to or associate with, which political issues concern us, and our religious affiliation.

“Exposing this information – especially in a massive, untargeted way over a long

period of time – violates the Constitution and the basic First Amendment tests that have been in place for over 50 years.”

Data requests Meanwhile a number of major US Internet companies, including Microsoft, Google and Facebook have asked the government for permission to disclose the number of national security-related user data requests they receive.

Also on Tuesday, Microsoft published a lengthy letter to US Attorney General Eric Holder asking for greater freedom to publicly discuss how it turns over user information to the government.

The letter was a response to a The Guardian newspaper report that said Microsoft had given authorities the ability to circumvent encryption of Outlook emails and to capture Skype online chats. The company says that report is inaccurate. www.almashreqonline.com

International & Business

August 2013

US urge Russia to send Snowden back Almashreq/ Editorial Staff/ Media Observer: Russian decision may allow the ex-US intelligence contractor to seek permanent refuge in another country. The US is disappointed by the Russian decision to grant temporary asy-

lum to whistleblower Edward Snowden. Snowden is wanted by the US for leaking secret surveillance data to the media, but Russia’s decision could allow the former intelligence contractor to seek permanent refuge in another country.

Iran and Syria sign $3.6bn oil deal Almashreq/ Editorial Staff/ Media Observer: Tehran agrees to supply Damascus with oil in exchange for the right to invest in country devastated by conflict. Iran has agreed to supply Damascus with $3.6bn in oil in exchange for the right to invest in the country, Syria’s state news agency SANA has said.

“An agreement was signed [on Monday] in Tehran by the Iranian and Syrian central banks, granting Syria a credit line worth $3.6bn,” the agency reported on Tuesday. The deal stipulates that Syria will pay back the cost of the oil loan “through Iranian

investments of various kinds in Syria,” said SANA. It did not elaborate on what kind of investments Tehran would make.

Iran is the main regional backer of Syrian President Bashar alAssad, whose regime has fought for more than 28 months to crush a protest movement that turned into a armed revolt. Oil production in Syria has crashed over the course of the country’s war, which the UN says has killed more than 100,000 people. Previously a small energy exporter, Syria is now forced to import oil and by-products, Sleiman Abbas, Syria’s oil minister said in May.

UN probes allegations of Syria rebel crimes Almashreq/ Editorial Staff/ Media Observer: Experts are investigating claim that fighters killed dozens of Syrian soldiers in village near Aleppo after seizing it. United Nations experts are investigating allegations that rebels killed dozens of Syrian soldiers in a village near Aleppo after they captured it from government troops, an incident that could amount to a war crime, the world body’s human rights chief said. Navi Pillay on Friday said in a statement that a UN team in the region is looking into reports about killings that followed the battle in Khan al-Assal in July. Pillay said the team has examined activists’ videos and collected accounts from people in Aleppo on an incident that she called “deeply shocking”.

While abuses by troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have been systematic and widespread throughout the two-year conflict, human rights groups have said the frequency and scale of rebel abuses also has increased in recent months. Specific allegations against opposition fighters include claims that rebels have routinely killed captured soldiers and suspected regime informers. Rebels say any such violations are condemned and an unfortunate result of the government crackdown.

Opposition fighters in recent weeks have suffered major setbacks on the battlefield. Infighting

among various armed groups also has plagued rebel ranks, weakening the opposition’s campaign against Assad’s rule. Rebels ‘not immune’: The capturing of Khan al-Assal on July 21 was overshadowed by activists’ claims that rebels had killed 150 government soldiers after taking the village.

Some of the soldiers who were killed had surrendered to the rebels, the Britain-based Observatory for Human Rights reported. Syrian state media reported that rebels killed 123 “civilians and military personnel” in Khan al-Assal.

In a statement issued in Geneva, Pillay said two of the videos the UN team reviewed apparently show government soldiers being ordered to lie on the ground, while another shows several bodies scattered along a wall and a number of bodies at an adjacent site.

Preliminary findings of the UN probe also suggests that armed opposition groups, in one incident documented by video, executed at least 30 individuals, the majority of whom appeared to be soldiers, Pillay said. “These images, if verified, suggest that executions were committed in Khan Al-Assal,” Pillay said. She called for a “thorough independent investigation to establish whether war crimes have been committed”. She also warned that opposition forces “should not think they are immune from prosecution”.

Turkish protesters allowed to break Ramadan fast as police stand by Almashreq/ Editorial Staff/ Media Observer: Turkish police allowed thousands of protesters who have been trying to block there development of a park in Istanbul to break their Ramadan fast on Tuesday before resuming efforts to get them to leave the area. The previous night police fired teargas and water cannon at protesters as they tried to prevent them gathering in Gezi Park, which has become the focal point of protests against Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s government. Two leftist Muslim groups sympathetic to the protests, the Revolutionary Muslims and Anti-Capitalist Muslims, hosted fast-breaking iftar dinner in a nearby pedestrian street by the Gezi Park on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The local municipality also hosted a dinner in Taksim Square by the Gezi Park and people marched in the park afterwards.

Police used loudspeakers to warn people to leave, while people booed and clapped, but the police did not intervene.

The park had been sealed off for three weeks after police expelled the residents of a protest camp there. “I hope the state will understand what these people have been trying to say with the protests. It is a constitution alright to enter a public space and protest,” www.almashreqonline.com

Ozge Dogu, a23-year-old university student, said. Clashes: After a police crackdown on a small demonstration on May 31against plans to redevelop Gezi Park, the protests grew into broader action against what critics see as Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian style of government. Gezi Park reopened to visitors on Monday afternoon but hours later police forced people out due to concerns about a planned protest rally. Clashes erupted in nearby streets before police allowed people back into the park around midnight. The Taksim Solidarity group of political parties and nongovernmental organizations opposed to the park’s redevelopment said police detained more than 80 people in Monday’s clashes.

One 17-year-old suffered a brain haemorrhage after being hit by a gas canister and was being treated at a nearby hospital, a medical association official said. The Gezi protests have been unprecedented in Erdogan’s rule, which began in 2002 with the election of his AK Party. He has pushed reforms in the economy and curtailed the power of a military that had toppled four governments in four decades. A Turkish court has cancelled the Taksim Square redevelopment project but the authorities can appeal against the ruling.

Gallup: Egyptians lost faith in Morsi government, party and elections Almashreq/ Editorial Staff/ Media Observer: Support for Mohamed Morsi›s government hit a low of 29 percent, with support for the Freedom and Justice Party at 19 percent, in June 2013, according to Gallup poll results Gallup, the leading public opinion research organisation, has shared insights from recent surveys conducted in Egypt, the last of which ran two weeks prior to the 30 June demonstrations that led to the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi.

Gallup, the leading public opinion research organisation, has shared insights from recent surveys con-

ducted in Egypt, the last of which ran two weeks prior to the 30 June demonstrations that led to the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi.The results of the survey are notable in illustrating the background against which demonstrations started, pointing to areas of failure of the Muslim Brotherhood regime and explaining some of the unrest that preceded the masses taking to the streets 30 June.Only 29 percent of Egyptians claimed they have confidence in the government, ac-

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cording to Gallup›s June 2013 poll results, which is the lowest-ever polling since tracking started soon after January 2011. It was first time the indicator fell below 50 percent.

Some 66 percent indicated that they didn›t have confidence in the government.

Israelis and Palestinians open talks Almashreq/ Editorial Staff/ Media Observer: Direct talks to set out framework for negotiations resume for first time in three years, as US hosts both parties. Israelis and Palestinians have resumed direct talks for the first time in three years, with the United States urging negotiators to make tough compromises to reach a peace deal. Israeli chief negotiator Tzipi Livni and her Palestinian counterpart Saeb Erakat sat side-by-side opposite top US diplomat John Kerry to share a traditional Muslim iftar meal in Washington DC on Monday.

Kerry, the US secretary of state, who has staked much of his reputation on bringing both sides back to the talks, first met with the teams separately. He will also host a three-way meeting on Tuesday, before making a statement to reporters at around 11:00am local time (15:00 GMT), accompanied by the two negotiators. Kerry was flanked at the dinner by seasoned diplomat Martin Indyk, who he named earlier as the US special envoy to the talks, and by White House Middle East advisor Phil Gordon.US President Barack Obama has welcomed the start of the talks, calling the, a “promising step” forward but warning of “hard choices” ahead. “The most difficult work of these negotiations is ahead, and I am hopeful that both the Israelis and Palestinians will approach these talks in good faith,” he said. Obama promised the US is ready to support both sides “with the goal of achieving two states, living side by side in peace and security”. ‘Difficult choices’ Kerry also warned that “many difficult choices lie ahead for the negotiators and for the leaders as we seek reasonable compromises on tough, complicated, emotional and symbolic issues. “I think reasonable compromise has to be a keystone of all of this effort.” The two sides have agreed to continue talking for at least nine months, a State Department official said. “We’re going to make every effort to reach an agreement within that time frame, but... if we’re making progress and we’re continuing to make progress, this is not a deadline,”

spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. Indyk, 62, who has twice served as US ambassador to Israel and participated in the failed Camp David summit in 2000 under then president Bill Clinton, said he was taking on “a daunting and humbling” challenge. The last direct talks collapsed in September 2010 amid continued Israeli settlement building. Israel and the Palestinians remain deeply divided over so-called “final status issues”. These include the fate of Jerusalem, claimed by both as a capital, the right of return for Palestinian refugees, the borders of a future Palestinian state and the fate of dozens of Jewish settlements scattered across the occupied West Bank.

Livni, speaking earlier after meeting UN chief Ban Ki-moon in New York, said the path ahead was “going to be very tough and problematic”. “The meeting is to define what will come next in the negotiations,” senior Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi .

“There must be a timeline and commitment from both sides on what they’ll agree about.” Israel approves prisoner release As a first step, Israel said Sunday it would release 104 Palestinians imprisoned before the 1993 Oslo accords - some of whom are said to have been involved in attacks on Israelis. Erekat welcomed the move,

saying the Palestinians considered it “an important step and hope to be able to seize the opportunity provided by the American administration’s efforts”. Israeli President Shimon Peres, on a visit to Latvia, also hailed the resumption of talks. “We want to establish a two-state solution of a Palestinian state beside the state of Israel, living in peace and friendship and bringing an end to all conflict, which is so necessary today for all the people in the Middle East,” he said. On Monday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas sought to lay out his vision for the talks, asserting that no Israeli settlers or border forces should be allowed to remain in a future Palestinian state, and reiterated the Palestinian position that the 1967 borders were non-negotiable. Abbas’s firm statements appeared to challenge mediator Kerry’s hopes that the terms of the talks be kept secret. “In a final solution, we would not see the presence of a single Israeli - civilian or soldier - on our lands,” Abbas told Egyptian journalists in Cairo where he met Egypt’s interim president Adli Mansour. “An international, multinational presence like in Sinai, Lebanon and Syria - we are with that,” he said, referring to UN peacekeeping operations in those places.

UN: July deadliest month in Iraq since 2008

Almashreq/ Editorial Staff/ Media Observer: A total of 1,057 Iraqis killed and 2,326 wounded in violence whose impact on civilians “remains disturbingly high”. The UN has released the latest casualty figures and expressed concern about the high number of dead and wounded who were killed in the month of July. According to United Nations Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), 1,057 Iraqis were killed and another 2,326 were wounded in July 2013.

The number of civilians, including civilian police, killed was 928, while the injured was 2,109. A further 129

members of the Iraqi Security Forces were killed and 217 were injured.

“The impact of violence on civilians remains disturbingly high, with at least 4,137 civilians killed and 9,865 injured since the beginning of 2013,” Gyorgy Busztin, the acting special representative of the UN secretarygeneral for Iraq, said on Thursday.

“We haven’t seen such numbers in more than five years, when the blind rage of sectarian strife that inflicted such deep wounds upon this country was finally abating. I reiterate my urgent call on Iraq’s political leaders to take immediate and decisive ac-

tion to stop the senseless bloodshed, and to prevent these dark days from returning.” Baghdad was the worstaffected governorate in July with 957 civilian casualties [238 killed and 719 injured], followed by Salahuddin, Ninewa, Diyala, Kirkuk, Anbar, Babil, Wasit and Basra. The death toll for the month of July last year, according to figures released by the ministries of defence, interior and health in Iraq amounted to 989 people, the highest official death toll from the violence in a single month since April 2008, were injured in 1567, most of them civilians.

8

Classified- Arizona

August 2013

Mosques

Hospitals

Phoenix Muslim Community Mosque Address: 1818 N 32nd Street, Phoenix, AZ 85008, USA Phone:602 306 4959

MASJID AL-RAHMA Address: 2426 E McDowell Rd , Phoenix, AZ 85008, USA Phone:602-463-2569

Islamic Center Of North Phoenix Address: 13246 N. 23rd Ave,

Phoenix, AZ 85029, USA

Phone: 602-371-3440

Masjid Omar Bin Al-Khattab Address: 6225 S Mcclintock Dr, Tempe, AZ 85283, USA Phone:480-775 6627

Islamic Community Center of Phoenix Address: 7516 N. Black Canyon Hwy, Phoenix, AZ 85051, USA Phone:602-249-0496 Islamic community of anthem Address: Islamic community of anthem Phoenix, AZ 85086, USA Email: onlysarah@hotmail.com

Mesa

Masjid-e-Noor Address:55 North Matlock Street, Mesa, AZ 85203, USA Phone:480-644-0074

Tempe St. Luke’s Hospital 1500 S.Mill Ave Tempe AZ 85281” (602) 968-9411 Mayo Clinic 13400 Mayo Clinic

Islamic Center of the East Valley (ICEV) Address:425 N Alma School Rd., Chandler, AZ 85224, USA Phone:(480) 264-1330

Community Mosque Address: 1797 W University Dr#167, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA Phone:480-829-9465

Masjid Es Salaam Address:1071 North Alma School Road, The AL-Mahdi Benevolent Foundation Chandler, AZ 85224, USA Address:1016 S. River Dr Phone: 480-784-4627 Tempe, AZ 85281, USA

Churches Maronite Catholic Church Address: 5406 E Virginia Ave Phoenix, AZ 85008 Phone: 602-667-3280 Mar Abraham Chaldean Catholic Churc Address: 6816 E Cactus Rd Scottsdale, AZ 85254 Phone: 480-905-1545 Assyrian Church Of The East Address: 8712 N 35th Ave Phoenix, AZ 85051 Phone:602-841-3227 St. George Church Address:6107 W Greenbriar Dr Glendale, AZ 85308 St.Michael Orthodox Church Of Jerusalem Address: 4724 N 35th Ave Phoenix, AZ 85019 Phone: 480-466-2648 St.John of The Desert Melkite Catholic Church Address:3718 E Greenway Rd

FastMed Urgent Care of Chandler 2875 W. Ray Rd Chandler AZ 85224” (480) 899-3070

Chandler

Scottsdale Health Care 9003 E Shea Blvd Scottsdale AZ 85260” (480) 323-3000 St Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center 350 W Thomas RD Phoenix AZ 85013” (602) 406-3000

Chandler Regional Hospital 475 S.Dobson Rd Chandler AZ 85224 “(480) 963-4561

Peoria

Scottsdale Health Care 7400 E Osborn Rd Scottsdale AZ 85251” (480) 882-4000

Mercy Gilbert Medical Center 3555 South Val Vista Dr Gilbert AZ 85297” (480) 728-8000

Islamic Center of North East Valley Address:12125 E Via Linda, Scottsdale, AZ 85260, USA Phone:480-612--4044

Albanian-American Islamic Center of Arizona Address:6724 West Greenway Rd., Peoria, AZ 85381, USA URL:www.greenwaymasjid.com

Scottsdale AZ 85259 “(800) 446-2279

Mayo Clinic 5777 East Mayo Boulevard Phoenix, AZ 85054-4502 “(480) 515–6296

Scottsdale

Tempe

Islamic Community Center of Tempe Address:131 East 6th Street, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA

Phone: 480-894-6070

Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center 1111 E.McDowell RD Phoenix AZ 85006” (602) 839-2000

Phoenix, AZ 85032 Phone: 602-787-4787 St.Goerge Antiochian Orthodox Church Address: 4530 E Gold Dust Ave Phoenix, AZ 85028 Phone: 602-953-1921 St.Mark Coptic Orthodox Church Address: 525 N 74th St Scottsdale, AZ 85257 Phone: 480-990-2399 First Arabic Baptist Mission 2232 W Campbell Ave

Phoenix, AZ 85015 Phone: 602-249-1033

St.Joseph Church 11001 N 40th Street

Phoenix, AZ 85028

Phone: 602-966-5120 Persian Christian Church 2012 N Scottsdale Rd

Scottsdale, AZ 85257 Phone: 480-231-6542

Phoenix Children’s Hospital 1919 E Thomas Rd Phoenix AZ 85016” (602) 933-1000 Arrowhead Hospital 18701 N 67th Ave Glendale AZ 85308” (623) 561-1000 Banner Thunderbird Medical Center 5555 W Thunderbird RD Glendale AZ 85306” (602) 865-5555

Embassies Embassy Of Algeria 2118 Kalorama RD NW Washington DC 20008 Phone:202-265-2800

Embassy Of Qatar 4200 Wisconsin Ave NW Washingion DC 20016 Phone:202-274-1600

Embassy Of Egypt 3521 International Ct. NW Washington DC 20008 Phone:202-895-5400

Embassy Of Morocco 1601 21st St NW Washingion DC 20009 Phone:202-462-7979

Embassy Of Iraq 1801 P St NW Washington DC 20036 Phone:202-483-7500

Ebassy Of Saudi Arabia 2600 Virginia Ave NW #500 Washingion DC 20037 Phone:202-337-9450

Embassy Of Jordan 3504 International Dr NW Washington DC 20008 Phone:202-966-2664

Embassy Of The Republic Of Bosnia 2109 E St NW Washingion DC 20037 Phone:202-337-1500

Embassy Of Kuwait 3500 International Dr NW Washington DC 20008

Embassy Of Tunisia 1515 Massachussets Ave NW Washingion DC 20005

Embassy Of Lebanon 2560 28th St NW Washington DC 20008 Phone:202-939-6300

Embassy Of U.A.E 1225 22nd St NW #700 Washingion DC 20037 Phone:202-243-2400

Embassy Of Oman Sultanate 1776 Massachusetts Ave NW Washingion DC 20036 Phone:202-387-1758

Embassy Of Yemen 2600 Virginia Ave NW #705 Washingion DC 20037 Phone: 202-965-4760

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