Hizballah Officials Reject Targeting of "Wings"

When European Union (EU) designated Hizballah's military wing as a terrorist group earlier this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described it as a half measure.

All of Hizballah – its political and military wings – should be blacklisted. "As far as the State of Israel is concerned, Hezbollah is one organization, the arms of which are indistinguishable," Netanyahu said.

While they aren't happy with the designation, Hizballah officials agree about their structure, as the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) shows in a new report.

"In our resistance, we do not distinguish between one position and another position, because we never divided our movement in such a way that we would have different projects," Hizballah deputy secretary-general Na'im Qassem said in May. "Therefore, all our martyrs in every position are martyrs [who perished] by force of the obligation [to wage] jihad... We do not maintain one status for a resistance fighter and another [for someone] who is not a resistance fighter. We do not have a military arm and another [arm] that is political."

MEMRI cited a Hizballah communique issued after the EU action. It called the designation a "submission to American extortion … drafted by American hands in Zionist ink" that won't change anything. Secretary General Hasan Nasrallah also mocked the EU decision in a speech Monday, promising, "A government without Hizballah will never be formed. Just as a joke, I propose that our ministers in the next government be from the military wing of Hizballah."

The EU decision came after an investigation blamed Hizballah for last year's bus bombing in Bulgaria that killed seven Israeli tourists and the bus driver.

Hizballah's political arm is every bit as involved with its decisions to engage in terrorist activities as is its military arm. This is underscored by the fact that the sons of Hizballah government ministers and members of Lebanon's parliament are fighting under Hizballah's banner inside of Syria, the MEMRI report notes.

Audit Links ISNA Canada's Money to Kashmir Radicals

The Canadian chapter of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) may have funneled $280,000 to a Pakistani group tied to a violent Kashmiri secessionist movement, the Toronto Star reports.

An audit by the Canada Revenue Agency found a host of other problems within the ISNA Development Foundation, including missing documentation, misleading financial reports and sending donations abroad to unapproved groups, despite a stated purpose of serving the poor and needy in Canada.

The Star obtained a copy of a letter from Canada Revenue Agency auditors to ISNA Development outlining their findings.

Money sent to the Pakistan-based Relief Organization for Kashmiri Muslims was problematic on several fronts. ISNA Development couldn't provide any documentation for the $280,000 sent to the Pakistani group between 2007 and 2009. The Relief Organization has "strong ties" to the radical Islamist group Jamaat-e-Islami. In addition, Relief Organization directors "have been identified as active participants both in defining Jama'at-e-Islami's role in the armed militancy in Kashmir" and in creating "Hizbul Mujahideen," which the European Union has designated as a terrorist group.

While ISNA Canada's acting president denied the money went to "freedom fighters," other directors acknowledged there were "no strings" on the donations and the charity "had no control over" how the money was spent in Pakistan. Auditors wrote that it "could be used in support of . . . advancing the political cause of Kashmir's self-determination, including through support of a militant movement."

The Pakistani relief organization which received ISNA's money says it helps orphans "of Kashmiri Martyrs," Star investigative reporter Jesse McLean wrote, by providing "financial support for the reconstruction of demolished and torched houses and mosques at the hands of Indian occupation forces."

The ISNA Development Foundation may be stripped of its charitable status as a result.

"Canada's commitment to combating terrorism extends to preventing organizations with ties to terrorism from benefiting from the tax advantages of charitable registration," the audit letter said.

Pictures showing relief workers distributing aid under an ISNA Development banner appear to be doctored, the audit letter said. Those pictures are "the sole scrap of evidence the charity said it had on how its money was spent overseas," McLean wrote.

ISNA Development directors blamed former ISNA Canada President Mohammad Ashraf – who served as ISNA Development's secretary – for monopolizing control of the charity and failing to share information with them.

A previous audit indicated $600,000 in ISNA funds were misappropriated for personal use and administrative costs, leaving a "very small portion ... [to be] distributed to the poor and needy."

Read McLean's full report on the audit here.

Hamas Reels In Wake Of Morsi Downfall

Hamas finds itself in an uncomfortable predicament following the ouster of its longtime allies, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood.

The terrorist group's leaders worry that a wave of popular demonstrations similar to those that pushed Egypt's military to depose Morsi could threaten their hold on Gaza. They also are worried that Egypt's military rulers may try to reassert the sovereignty they held over Gaza prior to the 1967 Six-Day War.

The presence of Egyptian military helicopters over Gaza's skies as part of Egypt's crackdown on terrorists in the Sinai is particularly spooking Hamas. In addition, Egypt's destruction of Gaza smuggling tunnels is crimping the economy.

"Even [former Egyptian president] Hosni Mubarak did not starve the Gaza Strip," a Hamas official told Reuters. "By destroying the tunnels without providing an alternative, the Egyptians are punishing the entire population of the Gaza Strip and deepening the humanitarian and economic crisis."

Al-Monitor reports that numerous social media sites calling for similar protests in the Palestinian territories spurred Hamas's worries. As a result, it has moved to stifle public gatherings in Gaza regardless of the reason.

Repression of dissent is nothing new for Hamas, which has used harsh measures to keep opponents under wraps since it wrested Gaza from the Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority following the 2007 civil war. It has repeatedly moved to breakup any demonstrations by opponents.

Hamas even intervened in a recent planned protest against an Israeli bill that opponents say would displace thousands of Bedouins. Hamas security forces moved in and interrogated Ibrahim al-Talaa, 24, the creator of a Facebook page against the plan.

The interrogators wanted to know if he had connections with the Egyptian Tamarod, or "Rebel," movement that prompted Morsi's ouster. Al-Talaa said he didn't, but told Al-Monitor that "I spent the whole day of the demonstration" being questioned.

Palestinian Facebook pages have been popping up calling for demonstrations against Hamas and Fatah, as well as against the division between the two factions, Al-Monitor reports.

A Facebook group calling itself "You Palestinian, Rebel" formed by young Palestinians in the territories and abroad is calling for the overthrow of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority and the end of Israeli control. A Gaza spokeswoman said the online movement was influenced by the events in Egypt.

But some observers say an Egyptian-style street protest movement against Hamas' control of Gaza is unlikely because the conditions in Gaza are different from those in Egypt.

"I believe that what happened in Egypt will absolutely affect life in Gaza at lead in the long term, especially if Hamas isn't wise enough to deal with all these changes in Egypt," Atef Abu Sef, a lecturer at Al-Azhar University in Gaza, told Al-Monitor.

Qaradawi Comments Seen as Fatwa Against Egyptian Army

One of the most influential Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leaders called on Egyptians to rise up against the army for removing President Mohamed Morsi – a Muslim Brotherhood member – earlier this month.

Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi made his comments Sunday on Al Jazeera, the Middle East Online news service reports. "if he, who has disobeyed the ruler, does not repent, then he must be killed," Qaradawi said, citing Quranic passages. "There is a legitimate ruler (in reference to Morsi) and people must obey and listen to him."

He did not name anyone specifically, Middle East Online notes, but his comments seemed focused on army commander Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who forced Morsi from office July 3, one year after Egyptians elected him. The move followed historic street protests by Egyptians who felt betrayed by Morsi's leadership, seeing him more concerned with consolidating power for Islamists than in addressing Egypt's critical economic crisis and other challenges.

But Qaradawi saw no cause to remove Morsi. "Who made you the general commander of the military?" he asked. "Who made you the minister of defence? It's the same president you have removed who elevated you. You swore to obey him and you went against your word, which is haram [forbidden] in Islam."

That comments amount to a call for assassination, analysts told Middle East Online.

It's just part of a campaign of heated rhetoric and incitement from the Muslim Brotherhood. Dozens of people have died in skirmishes since Morsi's ouster, including 12 people on Tuesday. More than 50 people died when Muslim Brotherhood members surrounded the army's Republican Guard headquarters July 8. A book found in the aftermath urged people to wage jihad against their foes.

This week, Essam el-Erian, vice president of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, called on pro-Morsi protesters to besiege the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.

Al-Sisi, meanwhile, called for protests of his own by "every honorable and honest Egyptian" to "show your size and steadfastness in the face of what is going on."

Qaradawi lives in Qatar, the Gulf State which owns Al Jazeera. His program, "Shariah and Life," is among the network's most popular. Al Jazeera is about to launch its new American channel. Qaradawi's comments mark the latest troubling episode about the nature of the channel's programming. More than 20 staffers quit in the wake of Morsi's removal, citing the network's bias for the Muslim Brotherhood.

Syrian Rebels Target Hizballah

A string of bombings, rocket attacks and assassination attempts has brought the Syrian civil war into Hizballah's Lebanese stronghold.

Hizballah has found itself unable to keep Syria's rebel factions from attacking its assets deep inside Lebanon. The group became subject to reprisals ever since it began fighting alongside forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad earlier this year.

The terror group's activities helped turn the tide in al-Assad's favor and was instrumental in helping government troops seize the strategic town of Qusayr last month.

Syrian rebels hit the terror group earlier this month in its bastion of Dahiyeh, a suburb located south of Beirut, injuring more than 50 people.

Amin Hoteit, a former Lebanese army officer close to Hizballah told the BBC that the attack revealed the weakness of the Syrian rebels and their inability to win on the battlefield.

Hizballah convoys on their way to Syria have occasionally been hit by roadside bombs, including one last week

"These attacks will not inflict a lot of harm on Hizballah but they will keep it on its toes," Hoteit said. "These tactics aim to disperse Hizballah's capacities and to force it to stay on high alert, therefore, to exhaust its forces and distract it from achieving other plans."

In addition to being militarily involved in Syria, Hizballah faces deep sectarian divides within Lebanon. Rebel groups threaten to bring the war into Lebanon, which suffered its own brutal civil war between 1975 and 1990.

"Hizballah brought it on itself," Wehbe Qaticha, a military expert close to the opposition March 14 coalition, told the BBC. "Hizballah's intervention in Syria is an Iranian decision to comment on the issue."

The rebel Free Syrian Army initially threatened to target Hizballah in Lebanon back in February, before the Shiite terrorist group admitted that it was fighting alongside the Assad forces. A related group, the Syrian National Council, issued a statement Tuesday calling for Hizballah's leaders to be put on trial for crimes it may have committed in Syria.

Hizballah's involvement in Syria was among the reasons that the European Union decided to blacklist the group this week.

MB Leader Calls For U.S. Embassy Siege in Cairo

American diplomats could find themselves in the Muslim Brotherhood's crosshairs now that Essam el-Erian, the vice president of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, has called on protesters to besiege the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.

El-Erian blames the U.S. government for the Egyptian military's July 3 decision to overthrow President Mohamed Morsi. American policies have been roundly criticized by both pro- and anti-Morsi forces in the days since Morsi was deposed.

"We hope the diplomats will not be exposed to any harm, but we want them out of the country. We do not want them on our land," El-Erian said according to Egypt's Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper. He made the call Monday during a meeting of the dissolved Shura Council (the upper House of Egypt's parliament).

El-Erian predicted that the scope of the protests would grow and demanded that Egyptian army and intelligence leaders who participated in what he called the "coup" against Morsi to pack their bags.

Such calls conjure images of Islamist demonstrators climbing over the embassy wall on September 11, 2012 to haul down the U.S. flag and replace it with an al-Qaida banner. Egypt's Interior Ministry says it will not let the protesters attack the U.S. embassy. Egyptian police setup barriers around the U.S. embassy prior to El-Erian's remarks.

The U.S. State Department says it is taking the situation seriously.

"In terms of the safety of our officials serving, this is something we always continue to evaluate. And we have taken steps and would take steps as needed if the situation warrants," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said during Monday's press briefing.

The Brotherhood leader's call to besiege the U.S. embassy comes amid ongoing violence between pro-Morsi and anti-Morsi forces that has killed nine people in the past 24 hours in Cairo.

EU Finally Blacklists Hizballah's Military Wing

In a momentous decision Monday, the European Union (EU) designated the military wing of the Lebanese terrorist group Hizballah. The decision to embargo the Iran-backed Shi'ite militant group was spearheaded by the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

The designation will significantly impact Hizballah's operations in Europe, including the terrorist group's ability to raise funds and engage in logistics and terrorist activity on European territory.

Although the United States designated Hizballah in 1995, the EU has been dragging its feet. Efforts to ban the group gained momentum following last year's attack on a tourist bus in Burgas, Bulgaria that killed five Israeli tourists, a Bulgarian bus driver and the bomber. More recently, the terrorist group has joined forces with the brutal regime of Bashar al-Assad that has intensified the Shia-Sunni strife in the region.

Both the U.S. and Israel applauded the EU decision. "As Hezbollah has deepened its support for the brutal Assad regime and worked to expand its global reach through increased involvement in international criminal schemes and terrorist plots around the world, a growing number of governments are recognizing Hezbollah as the dangerous and destabilizing terrorist organization that it is," Secretary of State John Kerry said in a prepared statement.

Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni described the decision as "just and correct." She said that "Finally, after years of discussions and deliberations, [they] have failed, and rightly so, in their attempt to claim that they are a legitimate political party."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the EU to go further, designating Hizballah's political arm. It "is one organization, the arms of which are indistinguishable," he said, calling Hizballah an "Iranian protectorate" with tens of thousands of rockets at its disposal.

Hizballah has waged terror attacks against the United States and Israel. In 1983, the Lebanon-based group killed 240 people in an attack on the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut. Hizballah, along with its chief patron Iran, had been alleged to have waged attacks on the Israeli Embassy in Argentina in 1992 and a Jewish cultural center in Buenos Aires in 1994.

Poll: Egyptians Opposed to Muslim Brotherhood Protests

A new poll shows that most Egyptians have no desire to see former President Mohamed Morsi return to power despite daily Muslim Brotherhood-organized protests that have filled the streets since his July 3 ouster.

The Egyptian Center for Public Opinion Research-Baseera survey found that 71 percent of Egyptians opposed the Brotherhood's protests. A year of Morsi and the Brotherhood's rigid policies and inflexibility that failed to address Egypt's economic crisis has left many Egyptians frustrated.

"The real problem that we're facing right now is from the time of President's Morsi's taking over, it has been a zero-sum political game. It is all or none and that is mainly the reason he was pushed out of power, because he would not share it with anyone else. He would not succumb to the opposition," Wael Eskandar, an Egyptian blogger with Al Ahram, said in an interview with Russia Today. "And now that he has been pushed out of power, the same attitude prevails, that they are not willing to make compromise at all and the reason is because the organization is bent on dominating and pushing their way of politics. It is difficult to see any way out of this without any side compromising."

The poll found that 78 percent of men and 65 percent of women disapproved of the protests. It also found that younger people are more sympathetic to the protests then their elders.

"[T]he people right now are disenchanted with the MB that they are willing to accept anything but the Muslim Brotherhood, which is a sign of how polarized things are at the moment and how the Muslim Brotherhood and Morsi made matters inside Egypt," Eskandar said.

The poll was conducted of 2,214 adults across Egypt's 27 governorates between July 20 and 21, and had a 3 percent margin of error.

Iran Condemns Filmmaker as "Traitor" for Israel Visit

The Islamic Republic of Iran's vehemently anti-Semitic and anti-Israel sentiment has never been limited to international politics. Such bigoted attitudes continue to spill over into the arts, which are supposed to transcend political differences. Iranian film director Mohsen Makhmalbaf continues to experience a severe backlash for his recent decision to attend the Jerusalem International Film Festival, causing immense criticism from many within Iran and the Diaspora.

The head of the Cinema Organization at the Ministry of Islamic Guidance ordered the Film Museum's director to remove all of Makhmalbaf's exhibits, including dozens of international awards.

Makhmalbaf left Iran in 2005. While visiting Israel for his film screening, Makhmalbaf, advocated for strengthened ties between the Iranian and Israeli people. Elements within Iran's conservative media accused the film director of treason and collaboration with the "Zionists" against the Islamic Republic. Makhmalbaf's film, "The Gardener," relates to the Baha'i community; a religious minority which suffers systematic and institutionalized discrimination in Iran. Much of the film was made in Israel, and the trailer emphasized violence committed in the name of religion

The backlash further emphasizes the Islamic Republic's fear of the "soft war" allegedly waged by Israel and the West in an attempt to discredit the regime in the eyes of the Iranian population. International efforts to alleviate persecution of minorities and dissidents are perceived as a major threat to the stability of the regime.

Even the so called "pragmatic conservative" camp and reformist affiliated outlets criticized Makhmalbaf's visit to Israel.

By simply visiting the Jewish state, Makhmalbaf's image has been transformed from revolutionary cultural icon to a traitorous enemy of the Iranian people.

Roughly 150 intellectuals, academics, authors, artists, journalists, and human rights advocates released a public letter condemning Makhmalbaf, claiming a violation of the cultural and academic boycott of anything Israeli. On the other hand, 80 activists and academics of Iranian descent signed a letter to the Times of Israel praising Makhmalbaf's visit. The signatories commended Makhmalbaf's call for Israel to support democratic elements in Iran over conducting a military strike on its nuclear sites.

In an interview with the UK's Guardian, Makhmalbaf described his time in Israel as "amazing" noting packed houses who attended three different screenings. As an artist, he said he tries to build friendship among people of different faiths and ethnicities.

That's not something the Iranian regime wants people to see.

Indictment: Jacksonville Man Tried to Join AQAP

A 19-year-old Jacksonville, Fla. man trained for violent jihad and traveled to the Middle East in hopes of joining a notorious al-Qaida branch. Shelton Thomas Bell was charged Thursday with two counts of conspiracy and attempting to provide material support to the terrorist group Ansar al Sharia, also known as al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

AQAP is the al-Qaida branch which successfully got would-be suicide bomber and Nigerian national Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab onboard a Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam on Christmas Day in 2009. Abdulmutallab hoped to bring the plane down over Detroit, but the bomb sewn into his underwear failed to detonate.

Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born AQAP cleric, inspired several homegrown American terrorists through his radical online teachings. Awlaki was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Yemen in September 2011.

According to the indictment, Bell and an unnamed juvenile engaged in physical fitness and firearms training to prepare for armed conflict. Bell also made video and audio recordings to solicit and recruit others to join him in jihad. In furtherance of their efforts to "promote the jihad," Bell and his accomplice undertook a night-time "mission" in which they "dressed in dark clothing, wore masks and gloves, wrapped their footwear in tape, and, caused significant damage to religious statues at the Chapel Hills Memorial Gardens Cemetery."

Bell said he was 'partaking in the training of jihad," actively seeking participation in jihad," and "looking for an active objective." He identified his target as "[n]ot the American people, just the flag and the Government." A woman identifying herself as Bell's mother told the Jacksonville Times Union that he had converted to Islam.

Bell and the unnamed accomplice leased a laptop computer to communicate with people after he traveled to the Middle East and bought "gauze pads, batteries, athletic tape, razors, and a computer storage device" as part of their plan. Bell then bought a one-way ticket for both him and his friend to fly to Tel Aviv, Israel. They made the trip last September but were denied entry. After going to Jordan, they reached out to people named Nidal and Sheik Yussef seeking help finding a way into Yemen. It is not clear when he returned to Jacksonville or why he never made it to Yemen. He has been in the county jail since January on an unrelated grand theft charge, a Jacksonville television station reports.

Bell faces a maximum of 15 years in prison if convicted.

Newer Postings   |   Older Postings