Luxembourg PM Takes Arab Leaders to Task on Gay Rights at Summit

THE GUARDIAN: Xavier Bettel says his same-sex marriage would condemn him to death in some countries

Luxembourg’s prime minister, Xavier Bettel, has confronted Arab leaders over the repression of gay rights, telling them his same-sex marriage would condemn him to death in some of their countries.

The conference room at a summit of EU and Arab states fell silent when Bettel made his statement, according to a German TV journalist.

Retweeting this account, Bettel wrote: “Saying nothing was not an option for me.” The tweet was signed with his initials.

Bettel, the first EU leader to be married to a same-sex partner, had planned to make the intervention before arriving at the summit, which was the first gathering between the EU and Arab League.

Homosexuality is punishable by death under sharia law in Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen. Other countries in the region prohibit same-sex acts, including Algeria, Morocco, Oman, Tunisia, Syria, Kuwait and some of the United Arab Emirates. » | Jennifer Rankin in Brussels | Thursday, February 28, 2019

To the Tyrants of the Arab World...
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Tunisians have sent a message to the Arab world, warning leaders they are no longer immune to popular anger.

In cities across the Arab world, people have been reinvigorated by the Tunisian uprising. Photograph: Al Jazeera English
The Tunisian uprising, which succeeded in toppling Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the Tunisian president, has brought down the walls of fear, erected by repression and marginalisation, thus restoring the Arab peoples' faith in their ability to demand social justice and end tyranny.



It is a warning to all leaders, whether supported by international or regional powers, that they are no longer immune to popular outcries of fury.



It is true that Ben Ali's flight from the country is just the beginning of an arduous path towards freedom. It is equally true that the achievements of the Tunisian people could still be contained or confiscated by the country's ruling elite, which is desperately clinging to power.



But the Tunisian intifada has placed the Arab world at a crossroads. If it fully succeeds in bringing real change to Tunis it will push the door wide open to freedom in Arab word. If it suffers a setback we shall witness unprecedented repression by rulers struggling to maintain their absolute grip on power.



Either way, a system that combined a starkly unequal distribution of wealth with the denial of freedoms has collapsed. >>> Lamis Andoni | Sunday, January 16, 2011

THE TIMES – LEADING ARTICLE: Yearning to Breathe Free: The taste of freedom for Tunisians could whet the appetite of their neighbours >>> | Thursday, January 20, 2011 [£]

Arab Leaders Warned of 'Revolution'
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Head of Arab League warns regional leaders that recent political upheaval is linked to deteriorating economic situation.

Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, made no reference to the Tunisian revolt in his opening speech [EPA]. Photo: Al Jazeera English
The head of the Arab League has told the region's leaders that the recent upheaval in Tunisia is linked to deteriorating economic conditions throughout the Arab world, warning them that their people's anger has reached unprecedented heights.

Amr Moussa told an Arab economic summit in Egypt that "the Arab soul is broken by poverty, unemployment and general recession."

"This is in the mind of all of us," Moussa said in his opening address to the 20 Arab leaders and other representatives of Arab League members gathered in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

The summit is the first top level Arab meeting since protests fuelled by joblessness and other economic woes in Tunisia forced Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the president, to flee, bringing an end to his 23-year rule of the country.

The unrest has helped inspire similar protests around the Arab world and calls for political change, though activists face vast security forces heavily vested in the status quo backing hardline regimes ready to crack down on challenges to their rule.

"The Tunisian revolution is not far from us," Moussa warned. "The Arab citizen entered an unprecedented state of anger and frustration."

He called for an Arab "renaissance" to lift people from their frustration. >>> Source: Agencies | Wednesday, January 18, 2011

These OSTRICHES are forgetting MANY OTHER FACTORS: the GREED of their LEADERS; the CORRUPTION of their LEADERS; the INEQUALITY of the OWNERSHIP of WEALTH and the MEANS of MAKING MONEY; the FACT that their country was run as a PRIVATE BUSINESS, just as ROMANIA had been before the FALL of the Ceauşescus; the STEALING of the PEOPLE’S MONEY by the RULING CLASS; the LUXURY and EXTRAVAGANT LIVES of their RULERS whilst the ORDINARY FOLK GO WITHOUT. Then there is the SUPPRESSION of the PEOPLE by the SECRET POLICE and MACHINERY OF STATE; the LACK of FREEDOM and DEMOCRACY; the LACK of FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION. The list goes on and on and on. So these TWERPS are not going to SAFEGUARD THEIR POSITIONS by limiting their FOCUS only on JOBLESSNESS and OTHER ECONOMIC WOES. This REVOLUTION was caused by far more than that; and the REVOLUTION will spread to OTHER ARAB COUNTRIES if the PEOPLE'S PLIGHT is not addressed FUNDAMENTALLY. – © Mark

Related >>>

Tunisia Fallout: Arab Leaders Warned of 'Unprecedented Anger'
THE TIMES OF INDIA: SHARM EL-SHEIKH: Arab League chief Amr Mussa warned Arab leaders on Wednesday that the hardships of ordinary Tunisians that sparked a popular uprising were linked to "unprecedented anger" in the region.

Mussa was addressing an economic summit of Arab leaders in Egypt's resort of Sharm el-Sheikh that closed with a vow to "move forward in the development of our societies in terms of human development, technology, economy and society."

"The developmental challenges are no less important than the political challenges facing the region," the leaders said in a final statement after their one-day summit.

It was the first gathering of Arab leaders since Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was forced to step down and fled his country on Friday after 23 years in power.

"The revolution that happened in Tunisia is not far from the subject of this summit," Mussa said, amid fears of a spillover.

"The Arab soul is broken by poverty, unemployment and general recession ... The political problems, the majority of which have not been fixed ... have driven the Arab citizen to a state of unprecedented anger and frustration." >>> AFP | Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Bin Laden: Gaza Offensive a Holocaust
YNET NEWS: Osama Bin Laden slams Arab leaders for 'collaborating with Israel,' failing to stop Gaza op

Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden accused several Arab countries of collaborating with Israel in a new audio recording aired by al-Jazeera Saturday.

"It's clear that a number of Arab leaders have collaborated with the Zionist-crusader coalition against our people," Bin Laden said.

He also dubbed Israel's offensive in Gaza a "holocaust" and blamed Arab leaders for not doing enough to stop the fighting. He did not name any specific countries.

"The disaster in Gaza is an important historical event. It is a sudden disaster that constitutes a significant milestone. The path to al-Aqsa mosque requires true and honest leadership," he said.

The Qatar-based Arabic satellite network did not say how it obtained the recording, and the authenticity of the tape could not be verified. >>> Roee Nahmias and AP | Saturday, March 14, 2009

LA REPUBBLICA.it: Bin Laden accusa i leader arabi
"Complici di Israele contro Islam"

Nuovo messaggio audio del capo di Al Qaeda su Al Jazeera
"Collaborano con l'alleanza tra crociati e sionisti"

ROMA - Osama Bin Laden torna a far sentire la sua voce. Il leader di Al Qaeda ha accusato, in un nastro audio trasmesso dalla tv al Jazeera, alcuni leader arabi di complottare con l'occidente contro i musulmani. ''E' chiaro - dice Bin Laden nella registrazione - che alcuni leader arabi sono stati complici dell'alleanza tra crociati e sionisti contro la nostra gente. Questi leader sono proprio quelli che l'America definisce moderati''. >>> | Sabato 14 Marzo 2009

BERLINER ZEITUNG: Bin Laden fordert Mord an moderaten Araber-Führern

Kairo/Washington - Der weltweit meist gesuchte Terrorist, Osama bin Laden, hat in einer neuen Audio-Botschaft zum Mord an gemäßigten arabischen Führern aufgerufen.

«Die Herzen unserer Herrscher sind wie die unserer Feinde», sagte Chef des Terrornetzes El Kaida laut einer Abschrift des auf islamistische Webseiten spezialisierten IntelCenters mit Sitz nahe Washington. «Euch den Hals durchzuschneiden, ist mithin eine religiöse Verpflichtung», heißt es demnach in der am Samstag vom arabischen Fernsehsender Al-Dschasira ausgestrahlten Botschaft. Ob die Botschaft wirklich von Bin Laden stammt, war laut dem Sender zunächst aber unklar. >>> © dpa | Samstag, 14. Marz 2009

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback & Hardback) – Free delivery >>>