Al-Qaida rät Ägyptern zum Gottesstaat
WELT ONLINE: Al-Qaida bricht sein Schweigen zu den arabischen Revolutionen: Bin Ladens Stellvertreter rät Ägyptern in einer Tonbandnachricht zum islamistischen Gottesstaat.

Zum ersten Mal seit Beginn der Protestwelle in Nordafrika, hat sich die Führungsspitze des Terrornetzwerkes al-Qaida zu den politischen Unruhen zu Wort gemeldet. Die Medienabteilung "As-Sahab Media" der Terrororganisation veröffentlichte eine Tonbandbotschaft des Al-Qaida-Vize-Chefs Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri. Die 35-minütige Aufnahme, die „Welt Online“ vorliegt, wurde auf einschlägigen Internetseiten veröffentlicht und gilt als authentisch. Sie trägt den Titel: "Botschaft der Hoffnung an das ägyptische Volk".Armin Mueller-Stahl erhält Ehrenbär für Lebenswerk[.]

Zawahiri erklärt in der Tonbandbotschaft, in Ägypten herrsche ein vom Islam abgewandtes, korruptes Regime. Einzig der islamische Staat sei eine bessere Alternative für die Ägypter. "Die ägyptische Regierung herrscht über ihr Volk mit unterdrückerischen Kräften und gefälschten Wahlen, korrupten Medien und ungerechten Gesetzen", so der ägyptische Terrorist. (+ Tonband) >>> Autor: Florian Flade | Samstag, 19. Februar 2011

Dr. Max: Demonstrieren für Dummies
Von Anzeige erstatten bis Wasserwerfer: Dr. Max gibt in seiner Videokolumne 10 Tipps für die nächste Demonstration. Nicht nur für Anfänger | 16.02.2011

Algérie: Les manifestants encerclés
leJDD.fr: Les policiers ont encerclé samedi un demi-millier de manifestants qui tentaient de prendre part à un défilé dans le centre d'Alger, s'inspirant des mouvements de révolte qui secouent une partie du monde arabe. Un député de l’opposition a été grièvement blessé.

Pour la seconde fois en huit jours, des manifestants sont venus exprimer, en plein centre d’Alger, leur détermination à en finir avec le régime, à l'instar de l'Egypte et de la Tunisie. Et pour la deuxième fois, la police a riposté. Les manifestants, qui scandaient "Algérie, libre et démocratique!", ont été dispersés par les forces de l'ordre aux abords de la place du 1er-Mai, où la marche de protestation devait débuter à 11h00. Ils ont ensuite été dirigés dans la cour d'un ensemble d'immeubles résidentiels où un demi-millier de manifestants ont été encerclés par des centaines de membres de forces de l'ordre en tenue anti-émeute. Plusieurs centaines de badauds, ainsi que quelques partisans du gouvernement, ont également été pris dans ce mouvement. >>> Al.P ( avec agences) - leJDD.fr | Samedi 19 Février 2011

Extremist Cleric to Lead White House Protest Calling for Muslims to 'Rise Up and Establish Islamic State in America'
MAIL ON SUNDAY: A hardline Muslim cleric who sparked anger across the U.S. with his anti-American comments in a television interview this month is to hold a protest outside the White House.

British extremist Anjem Choudary - who once said 'the flag of Islam will fly over the White House' - has announced he will lead a demonstration calling on Muslims to establish the Sharia law across America.

The rally, planned for March 3, is to take place just weeks after his on-screen row with Fox News presenter Sean Hannity.

Mr Choudary, 43, called Americans 'the biggest criminals in the world today.'
The former leader of outlawed group Islam4UK told the Target=_blank>Daily Star 'we expect thousands to come out and support us.'

Mr Choudary said the March rally was organised by the Islamic Thinkers society, an extremist group based in New York.

Two other British extremists, Abu Izzadeen and Sayful Islam, have also been asked to speak at the demonstration.

Izzadeen is the hate preacher who caused fury last year when he called British soldiers 'murderers' the day he was released from jail after a three-and-a-half year sentence for inciting terrorism.

Mr Choudary told the newspaper: 'The event is a rally, a call for the Sharia, a call for the Muslims to rise up and ­establish the Islamic state in America.' >>> Daily Mail Reporter | Sunday, February 20, 2011

DAILY STAR: The United Hates of America: FIREBRAND Islamist Anjem Choudary is set to provoke fury in the US by holding a protest outside the White House. >>> Dominik Lemanski | Sunday, February 20, 2011

Libya Protests: 140 'Massacred' as Gaddafi Sends in Snipers to Crush Dissent
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Women and children leapt from bridges to their deaths as they tried to escape a ruthless crackdown by Libyan forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

Snipers shot protesters, artillery and helicopter gunships were used against crowds of demonstrators, and thugs armed with hammers and swords attacked families in their homes as the Libyan regime sought to crush the uprising.

"Dozens were killed ... We are in the midst of a massacre here," a witness told Reuters. The man said he helped take victims to hospital in Benghazi.

Libyan Muslim leaders told security forces to stop killing civilians, responding to a spiralling death toll from unrest which threatens veteran leader Muammar Gaddafi's authority.

Mourners leaving a funeral for protesters in the eastern city of Benghazi came under fire, killing at least 15 people and wounding many more. A hospital official said one of those who died was apparently struck on the head by an anti-aircraft missile, and many had been shot in the head and chest.

The hospital was overwhelmed and people were streaming to the facility to donate blood. "Many of the dead and the injured are relatives of doctors here," he said. "They are crying and I keep telling them to please stand up and help us." >>> Nick Meo, Cairo | Sunday, February 20, 2011

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Ayatollahs of Iran watch Libya's Colonel Muammar Gaddafi practise the art of violent repression: Few of the Arab regimes facing rebellion are as brutal as that of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi - and now he's shown just how Libya deals with protesters >>> Con Coughlin | Sunday, February 20, 2011

Stateless Protest in Kuwait
Feb 19 - Stateless Arabs in Kuwait come under fire as security forces use flares to disburse crowds, as they demonstrate for citizenship. Deborah Lutterbeck reports

Unrest Sweeps the Middle East
February 20 - Amateur video in Libya shows protesters fleeing after some were shot in Benghazi, and in Bahrain's Pearl Square tens of thousands gathered after reclaiming it from police earlier in the day. Marie-Claire Fennessy reports

Britain's Alliance with Libya Turns Sour as Gaddafi Cracks Down
THE GUARDIAN: Tony Blair's handshake with Muammar Gaddafi in 2004 began an uneasy relationship that now presents difficult questions

On 25 February 2004, Tony Blair stood up in the Libyan capital Tripoli and shook hands with an eccentric dictator who until then had been regarded as an international pariah for his involvement in sponsoring terrorism.

That man was Muammar Gaddafi, who, Blair announced, had joined Britain in the fight against terror.

Asked if he was queasy about meeting Libya's leader, Blair replied: "It was strange, given the history, to come here and do this and, of course, I am conscious of the pain that people have suffered as a result of terrorist actions in the past."

What Blair meant, to be explicit, was Libya's involvement in downing a US airliner over the Scottish town of Lockerbie, and the shooting of a British police constable, WPC Yvonne Fletcher, by a gunman who fired from inside the Libyan embassy in London.

Announcing a "new relationship", however, Blair said he had been struck by how the Libyan leader wished to join with Britain in "common cause with us against al-Qaida, extremists and terrorism".

That was then. In the last few days it has been Gaddafi who has looked liked the extremist, sending troops, and reportedly mercenaries, to crush demonstrations against his rule in the towns of Benghazi and Al Bayda. Human Rights Watch says this has led to the deaths of at least 85 of his people.

But it has not only been a dubious partnership against terror that has increasingly embroiled the United Kingdom in Libya's affairs. There has been a second "common cause" that has underpinned the relationship with Gaddafi's regime, underscored by the announcement on the same day in 2004 of a £550m deal with Shell for exploration rights.

Now Britain's risky and controversial relationship with Libya is beginning rapidly to unravel. >>> Peter Beaumont and Andrew Clark | Saturday, February 19, 2011

Taking Back Pearl Square in Bahrain
Feb 19 - Demonstrators move back into Bahrain's Pearl Square after the government orders the military to disband from the area. Deborah Lutterbeck reports

Protests Continue Throughout the Region
Feb 19 - Clashes in Yemen turn deadly and Algerian police push crowds out of May 1 Square. Maryam Ishani reporting

Bahrain's Prince Speaks
Feb 19 - Bahrain's crown prince promises new dawn of free expression, while security forces pull out of Pearl Square. Jessica Gray reporting

Libyan Protesters Risk 'Suicide' by Army Hands
THE GUARDIAN: Gaddafi confronts the most serious challenge to his 42-year rule by unleashing army on unarmed demonstrators

Colonel Muammar Gaddafi is confronting the most serious challenge to his 42-year rule as leader of Libya by unleashing his army on unarmed protesters.

Unlike the rulers of neighbouring Egypt, Gaddafi has refused to countenance the politics of disobedience, despite growing international condemnation, and the death toll of demonstrators nearing 100.

The pro-government Al-Zahf al-Akhdar newspaper warned that the government would "violently and thunderously respond" to the protests, and said those opposing the regime risked "suicide". >>> Peter Beaumont and Martin Chulov in Bahrain | Saturday, February 19, 2011

King of Sweden Visits Malmö

HT: Baron Bodissey @ Gates of Vienna >>>

HT: Vlad Tepes >>>

After Mubarak: The Autumn of the Patriarchs
THE ECONOMIST: A generational change of mentality may bring fresh hope to the entire region

Photograph: The Economist
SEMINAL moments in revolutions do not come at nicely spaced intervals, but in a bewildering cascade. The accelerating rush of events leading to the abrupt downfall of Egypt’s president, Hosni Mubarak, came so cluttered with markers signifying radical change that their deeper implications can be hard to discern. The country’s streets have now calmed, with the army in charge of a wobbly interim government. But the smallest happenings in Cairo still reverberate with new meanings, not only for Egypt but for the surrounding region.

One such little scene with big implications played out some 36 hours after Mr Mubarak’s exit, when two top generals from the military council now ruling Egypt hosted a chat with some of the youthful campaigners whose organisational genius, to their own surprise as much as anyone’s, finally toppled Mr Mubarak on February 11th. In a Facebook post, the visitors described the meeting as encouraging. Not only did the generals, both in their early 60s, affirm the army’s commitment to the goals of the revolution, including a swift transition to democracy under civilian rule. They also showed “unprecedented respect for the opinions of young people”.

For Egyptians inured to rigid hierarchies of class and age, this last point was telling. Only a week before, as huge demonstrations engulfed the country, Mr Mubarak’s short-termed vice-president, the dour ex-head of intelligence, Omar Suleiman, had infuriated young Egyptians by suggesting that the protesters’ parents should tell them to go home. His prime minister, Ahmed Shafik, when pressed to apologise for a murderous attack on unarmed protesters by paid pro-Mubarak thugs, promised sarcastically to send the victims chocolates and sweets. >>> | Thursday, February 17, 2011 from PRINT EDITION

The Arab World: The Awakening
THE ECONOMIST – LEADER: As change sweeps through the Middle East, the world has many reasons to fear. But it also has one great hope

THE people of the Middle East have long despaired about the possibility of change. They have felt doomed: doomed to live under strongmen who have hoarded their wealth and beaten down dissent; doomed to have as an alternative only the Islamists who have imposed their harsh beliefs—and beaten down dissent. In some places, like Saudi Arabia and Iran, the autocrats and the Islamists have merged into one. But nowhere has a people had a wholly free choice in how they are ruled. And the West has surrendered to this despair too, assuming that only the strongmen could hold back the extremists.

Two months ago a Tunisian fruit-seller called Muhammad Bouazizi set fire to these preconceptions when, in despair over bullying officials and the lack of work, he drenched himself in petrol and struck a match. Tunisians and, later, Egyptians took to the streets. Almost miraculously, the people overwhelmed the strongmen who had oppressed them for decades. In the past few days tens of thousands have marched in Tehran, braving beatings and arrest. In tiny Bahrain men have died as the security forces sprayed protesters with rubber bullets and smothered them in tear gas. In Libya crowds have risen up against a fearsome dictator. Jordan is sullen, Algeria unstable and Yemen seething (see article).

Radical Islamists have long been the Arab world’s presumed revolutionaries, but these fights do not belong to them. In a region that had rotted under repression, a young generation has suddenly found its voice. Pushing ahead of their elders, they have become intoxicated with the possibility of change. As with Europe’s triumphant overthrow of communism in 1989, or even its failed revolutions of 1848, upheaval on such a scale can transform societies. What does that mean for the Islamists, the strongmen and the world? >>> Leader | Thursday, February 17, 2011 from PRINT EDITION

Tariq Ramadan on the Turmoil in the Maghreb, Noth Africa, Middle East
Listen to Tariq Ramadan here
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION – LATELINE: Read the transcript – The people must stand up: Ramadan >>> Reporter: Tony Jones | Thursday, February 17, 2011

Deadly Protests in Iraq over Food, Power
Feb 18 - Protests turn deadly in Iraq as demonstrators call for better services and government officials offer term limits and pay cuts. Deborah Lutterbeck reports

Family Rule Is Under Siege, At Last
REUTERS – BLOGS – GREGG EASTERBROOK: Dictatorship is under siege throughout the Arab world: fingers are crossed that democracy will prevail. Something else is under siege, too — the notion of family rule. This is among the oldest, and most harmful, concepts in human society. Is it about to vanish at last?

For centuries, in some cases for millennia, regions and nations have been ruled by families — either formally as royalty, or de facto via warlords, khans and shoguns who in most cases inherited their positions. As recently as a century ago, families still ran most of Europe, all of Russia and Japan, while an assortment of warlord-like figures with inherited standing ran much of what’s now South America and the Middle East, and kings and emperors controlled the subcontinent and most of Africa.

Today family rule has been vanquished, or reduced to constitutional status, in most of the world. The big exceptions are Cuba, North Korea, the Middle East, and parts of Africa and Pakistan. The fall of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, following a 30-year warlord-style rule — and the unlikelihood that his sons will inherit control of the country, as Mubarak planned — represents a major subtraction from the remaining portion of the globe under family control.

Let’s hope the trend continues. Today China, India, the United States, Indonesia and Brazil, the world’s five largest nations, representing more than half of the global population, have abolished all forms of inherited rule. Much of the rest of the world has done or is doing the same. This is no guarantee of happiness, of course. Open systems can be chaotic (the United States), still lack personal freedom (China) or be poorly administered (Italy). But in the main, ending family rule has been good for societies that achieve this. Read on and comment >>> Gregg Easterbrook | Friday, February 18, 2011

After the Carrot, Egypt Military Shows the Stick
REUTERS: Egypt's military, after promising to deliver civilian rule in six months, warned workers using their new freedom to protest over pay that strikes must stop, in a move businessmen said on Saturday could have come sooner.

The military council, under pressure from activists to speed up the pace of reform, has adopted a softly-softly approach since taking power after the downfall of Hosni Mubarak, but said late on Friday that labour unrest threatened national security.

It issued the order, effectively banning strikes, after millions celebrated across Egypt with fireworks, dancing and music to mark a week since Mubarak, 82, was swept aside after 30 years, triggering a cascade of Middle East protests.

"I think it is a very late decision. The army should have given a firm statement for all kinds of sit-ins to stop, immediately after Mubarak stepped down," Sami Mahmoud, a board member of the Nile Company food distributor, said on Saturday.

"Though this statement should have come way earlier, I think the army was just allowing people to take their chance to voice their demands and enjoy the spirit of freedom," said Walid Abdel-Sattar, a businessman in the power industry. >>> Sarah Mikhail and Tom Perry | Saturday, February 19, 2011

Neo-Nazis and Protestors Fill a Tense Dresden
THE LOCAL (DE): Thousands of anti-fascists and neo-Nazis as well as police officers trying to keep them apart filled the city centre Dresden on Saturday after organisers of three neo-Nazi marches were given the judicial go-ahead.

Up to 6,000 neo-Nazis are expected to take part in the marches through the city, while up to 20,000 protestors are also expected, after last weekend 17,000 Dresden residents formed a human chain to show their distain for the far Right.

Fighting had already broken out between demonstrators and police by lunchtime, with the police using pepper spray and a water cannon while some demonstrators were said to have thrown fireworks at the officers. >>> DAPD/hc | Saturday, February 19, 2011

Tunisian Fundamentalists Burn Down Brothels
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Islamic fundamentalists attempted a show of force in Tunis on Friday by burning down a street of brothels.

Dozens of Islamists calling for Tunisia's brothels to be closed had rallied outside the interior ministry following Friday prayers before marching to Abdallah Guech Street.

At least three people were injured when security forces fired in the air to disperse the crowd.

The incident was the latest sign of Islamists organising in the North African state, the only Arab country with legal prostitution, after an uprising toppled President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali last month.

"Almost 500 Islamists, many wearing beards, were demonstrating in Old Medina to demand the closure of a brothel," said Mourad Barhoumi, a Tunis resident who witnessed the demonstration. >>> | Saturday, February 19, 2011

LE MONDE: Tunisie : un prêtre égorgé, des islamistes attaquent un lieu de prostitution – L'insécurité et le risque de poussée intégriste en Tunisie ont été illustrés, vendredi 18 février, par le meurtre d'un prêtre polonais retrouvé égorgé "par des extrémistes", aux dires des autorités, et l'attaque d'une rue fréquentée par des prostituées par des islamistes qui voulaient incendier une maison close. >>> LEMONDE.FR avec AFP | Vendredi 18 Février 2011

Protests Take Turn for Worse in Bahrain
Calls for peace following crackdown

Les révoltes populaires du monde arabe durement réprimées
LE POINT: Quatre-vingt-quatre personnes auraient été tuées par les forces de sécurité en Libye, selon un dernier bilan.

À Bahreïn, l'armée a ouvert le feu sur les manifestants, semant la panique dans les hôpitaux. Photo : Le Point
Les révoltes populaires contre les régimes autoritaires se sont étendues à travers le monde arabe vendredi, jour de grande prière, et ont été durement réprimées au prix de nombreux morts au Yémen, en Libye et à Bahreïn. Ces révoltes s'inspirent de celles qui ont entraîné la chute de Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali en Tunisie et de Hosni Moubarak en Égypte, faisant naître dans le reste du monde arabe l'espoir que la pression populaire apporte la démocratisation.

Le président américain Barack Obama a "condamné le recours à la violence" contre "les manifestants pacifiques" en Libye, ainsi qu'à Bahreïn et au Yémen, deux régimes alliés des États-Unis. Il s'est dit "profondément inquiet". La Grande-Bretagne a annoncé qu'elle annulait 44 contrats d'exportation de matériels de sécurité vers Bahreïn et huit contrats vers la Libye, pour éviter que ces matériels ne soient utilisés contre des manifestants. Et la Haut Commissaire aux droits de l'homme de l'ONU, Navi Pillay, a condamné les réactions "illégales et excessivement répressives" contre des "demandes légitimes". >>> Source AFP | Samedi 19 Février 2011

LE POINT: Mouammar Kadhafi confonté à une révolte populaire sans precedent : Le dirigeant libyen, au pouvoir depuis 40 ans, se voit confronté à une révolte comparable à celles qui ont eu lieu en Tunisie et en Égypte. >>> Source AFP | Samedi 19 Février 2011

Libya Death Toll Rises to 84 as Protesters Killed in Benghazi
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Libyan security forces killed 35 people in the eastern city of Benghazi late on Friday, Human Rights Watch cited hospital sources as saying, in the worst unrest of Muammar Gaddafi's four decades in power.

The New York-based watchdog said the killings on Friday took to 84 its estimate for the total death toll after three days of protests which were inspired by uprisings elsewhere in the Middle East but met with a fierce security crackdown.

The deaths in the city on Friday happened when security forces opened fire on people protesting after funeral processions for people killed in earlier violence, the group said. There has been no official word on the number of dead.

"We put out a call to all the doctors in Benghazi to come to the hospital and for everyone to give blood because I've never seen anything like this before," a senior hospital official in Benghazi said.

A Benghazi resident, who did not want to be identified, told Reuters by telephone from the city on Saturday: "There are still a large number of protesters standing in front of Benghazi court. They have decided they are not going to move."

The unrest has been centred in an around the city of Benghazi, about 600 miles east of the Libyan capital, but restrictions on media have made it difficult to establish the full extent of the violence. >>> | Saturday, February 19, 2011

Scheich Hamad: Der König von Bahrein
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Auch wenn einige schiitische Demonstranten den Rücktritt des sunnitischen Königs fordern, so ist sein Thron noch nicht gefährdet; aber ein Warnzeichen. Bahrein bedarf umfassender Reformen seines politischen Systems, wenn es auf Dauer bestehen will.

Auch wenn einige Demonstranten am Donnerstag schon die Parole „Nieder mit den Al Chalifa“ skandierten, so ist doch sein Thron noch nicht gefährdet; aber ein Warnzeichen – auch für die Herrscher in der Nachbarschaft – sind die Unruhen in Bahrein allemal. Scheich Hamad Bin Isa Al Chalifa hat sich für das brutale Vorgehen der Sicherheitskräfte auf dem zentralen Perlen-Platz der Hauptstadt Manama entschuldigt, das offenbar von dem aus der Familie stammenden Ministerpräsidenten befohlen worden war: von Scheich Chalifa Bin Salman Al Chalifa.

Scheich Hamad herrscht seit 1999 über das kleine Inselreich von Bahrein, das außer den beiden Hauptinseln Bahrein und al Muharraq noch etliche zum Teil sehr kleine Eilande umfasst. Scheich Hamad ist Nachfolger seines Vaters, Emir Isa Bin Salman Al Chalifa, der sehr viel zur Modernisierung des Landes getan hat. Seit 2002 trägt Scheich Hamad den Titel König (malik). Theoretisch ist Bahrein seither auch eine konstitutionelle Monarchie, doch fehlen dafür die demokratischen Institutionen. Ein Despot aber ist der Herrscher nicht. >>> Von Wolfgang Günter Lerch | Freitag, 18. Februar 2011

An Arabian Lesson for Western Powers
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Obama will need vision to shape events in the Middle East, says Richard Spencer in Cairo.

Sheikh Ali Salman does not come across as a Mad Mullah. To say you’d happily share a pint down the local with him would be going too far – he is leader of Bahrain’s principal Shia Muslim party, the al-Wefaq, and sits comfortably in his clerical robes and turban. But he is young and pleasantly spoken and, unlike with some politicians, you leave a meeting with him thinking you would like to get to know him better, rather than desperately looking for the exit.

Sheikh Ali is a figure of suspicion though to the Bahraini regime, which fears his party would deliver this island kingdom to its fellow Shias in Iran, given half the chance. The ultimate result of that paranoia was seen all too graphically on the streets of Manama yesterday. He himself denies this, and in a recent interview with The Daily Telegraph said he had no ties to Iran, every respect for the Bahrain royal family, and just wanted a constitutional monarchy as in Britain.

For a century or more no one has trusted anyone much in the Middle East, and few interviews can be conducted entirely without a question mark in the back of the mind when such claims are made. But the image of Sheikh Ali as an Iranian fanatic did strike me as a clear example of the mismatch between perceptions of the Arab world and the modern reality.

This has been widely on show in recent weeks. For those who live in the region, the surprise lies not in the speed of revolution but in the time it took to get there. It is the West that has seemed shocked that an uprising in an Arab country like Egypt had as its figurehead a Google marketing executive, Wael Ghuneim.

Sheikh Ali himself is a bit of a puzzle, I expect, even for regular visitors to Bahrain, for whom the thought of “Gulf Arab in long robe” conjures up the idea of either a plutocrat lounging in the diwan of his palace, or a Saudi businessman cruising the bars of Bahrain and Dubai for alcohol and loose women. In truth, most Gulf Arabs are certainly more religious than Westerners, but they are as devoted to food, shopping, computer games and football as anyone else. >>> Richard Spencer, The Daily Telegraph’s Middle East Correspondent | Saturday, February 19, 2011

Cairenes Gather for "Victory March"
Feb 18 - Protesters congregate in Cairo's central Tahrir Square, while Mubarak supporters hold a vigil in the Cairo suburb of Mohandiseen. Travis Brecher reports

WikiLeaks: Bahrain Opposition 'Received Training from Hizbollah'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Bahrain opposition groups received training from Iran-backed Hizbollah in Lebanon, according to the country's ruler.

King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa warned senior US military figures that opposition groups in Bahrain were receiving training from Hizbollah in Lebanon.

He also told senior American military figures that Syria was "complicit" in the training by providing the Bahrainis with false passports.

The claims were reported in a leaked embassy cable sent by US diplomats in Bahrain to Washington.

The communiqué was leaked to the WikiLeaks website and handed to The Daily Telegraph.

King Hamad made the claim in a 90 minute meeting on 30 July 2008 with General David Petraeus who at the time was commander of the allied forces in Iraq. >>> Christopher Hope, Whitehall Editor | Friday, February 18, 2011

The Arab Revolution’s Effect on Saudis
SAUDIWOMAN’S WEBLOG: With what’s going on right now in Yemen, Jordan, Syria, Tunis and Egypt, I get a lot of questions about how Saudis are taking it and what’s the reaction. The short answer is they are shocked and captivated but haven’t made up their minds about any of it.

The long answer is Saudi Arabia is a country where 40% of the population is under 14 years old, unemployment is rampant and the conservative religious approach is the key to the majority. These three ingredients are a dangerous mixture and add to that the now available social media tools and you have a bomb waiting for detonation. So why has nothing happened? >>> | Thursday, February 03, 2011

The Arab Revolution Saudi Update
SAUDIWOMAN’S WEBLOG: Remember, in a former post [see above], when I said that Saudis were captivated and shocked by what happened in Tunis and Egypt but hadn’t collectively made up their mind about it? Well it appears that they have. Everywhere I go and everything I read points to a revolution in our own country in the foreseeable future. However we are still on the ledge and haven’t jumped yet.

I know that some analysts are worried particularly of Saudi Arabia being taken over by Al Qaeda or a Sunni version of the Iranian Islamic Revolution. Calm down. Besides my gut feeling (which is rarely wrong), the overwhelming majority of people speaking out and calling out for a revolution are people who want democracy and civil rights and not more of our current Arab tradition based adaptation of Sharia. My theory of why that is, is that Al Qaeda has already exhausted its human resources here. The available muttawas, are career muttawas (fatwa sheikhs) and minor muttawas (PVPV) [here and here] of convenience both paid by the government and do not want the current win-win deal between them and the government to sour. So it’s unlikely that they would actively seek change. Actually quite the opposite, they will resist and delay as much as they can. Fortunately the winds of change can’t be deterred by a PVPV cruiser.

Last night Prince Talal Bin Abdul Alaziz, the king’s half-brother, did a TV interview on BBC Arabia that was widely watched and discussed. In it he warned of an upcoming storm if reforms aren’t dealt with right now. He used the word “evils” to describe what would happen if King Abdullah passed away before ordering the required changes. Prince Talal also strongly advocated a constitutional monarchy and democracy as long as it’s similar to what they have in Kuwait and Jordon. However he hinted that there were people in the ruling family who do not believe in change. >>> | Friday, February 18, 2011

About Saudiwoman

Libya's Gaddafi Faces Fight of Life, Bahrain Offer Snubbed
REUTERS: Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi faced the biggest challenge of his rule on Saturday amid reports that dozens of people have been killed as an offer by Bahrain's king of national dialogue to end the crisis there was rebuffed by the opposition.

Violence has spread from Tunisia and Egypt to Bahrain, Libya, Yemen and Djibouti, presenting the United States with the dilemma of maintaining stability in the oil-rich region while upholding the right to demonstrate for democratic change.

Protests in Libya's second city of Benghazi on Friday against Gaddafi's four decades in power were unprecedented with Amnesty International saying 46 people had been killed in a three-day crackdown.

Funerals of dead protesters could act as further flashpoints for demonstrators emboldened by uprisings in neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt that toppled long-ruling presidents.

"Special forces who have a very strong allegiance to Gaddafi are still fighting desperately to gain to control, to gain ground and the people are fighting them street by street," said a resident of Benghazi identified as Mohammed by the BBC. >>> Cynthia Johnston and Frederik Richter, Manama | Saturday, February 19, 2011

Bahrain Troops Fire at Protesters
Feb 18 - Reuters video appears to show Bahrain security forces firing tear gas at protesters near Thursday's protest epicentre of Pearl Square. Gunshots are also heard. Rough cut - no reporter narration

Protesters Clash with Security, Loyalists in Yemen
Feb 18 - At least two people are killed and dozens wounded, as Yemeni security forces clash with crowds calling for the President to quit. Deborah Lutterbeck reports

Bahrain Royal Family Orders Army to Turn on the People
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Bahrain's ruling family has defied mounting international criticism by ordering the army to turn on its people for the first time since pro-reform demonstrations erupted five days ago.

As protesters attempted to converge on Pearl Roundabout, a landmark in the capital Manama that has become the principal rallying point of the uprising, soldiers stationed in a nearby skyscraper opened fire.

Since they took to the streets, Bahrain's protesters have come to expect violence and even death at the hands of the kingdom's security forces. At least five people were killed before yesterday's protests.

But this was on a different scale of magnitude.

As they drew near, they were met first with tear gas and then with bursts of live ammunition.

Many fled the first salvoes, scrambling down empty streets as the shots rang out behind them.

As they ran, terror and disbelief flashed across their faces. One man shouted: "They are killing our people! They are killing our people."

Cowering behind a wall, a woman wept, her body shaking in fear.

But many refused to run, initially at least, determined to defy the violence being visited upon them. Some held their hands in the air and shouted "Peaceful! Peaceful!". >>> Adrian Blomfield in Manama | Friday, February 18, 2011

French Journalist Convicted on Racism Charge Over Drug Dealer Comment
THE GUARDIAN: Self-styled enemy of political correctness Éric Zemmour found guilty after trial over remarks about police stopping minorities

The controversial French journalist Éric Zemmour has been found guilty of incitement to racial hatred after telling a TV chatshow that drug dealers were mostly "blacks and Arabs".

The Paris trial sparked a fierce debate over freedom of speech and the extent of France's racism problem, which is poisoning the republican ideal that all citizens are equal regardless of colour.

Zemmour, a well-known media commentator and columnist for Le Figaro, prides himself on his outspoken defiance of what he deems political correct, woolly liberals.

He appeared on a chatshow last year when the debate turned to the question of the French police's excessive use of stop and search powers against minorities. He said: "But why are they stopped 17 times? Why? Because most dealers are blacks and Arabs. That's a fact." >>> Angelique Chrisafis in Paris | Friday, February 18, 2011

German Defence Minister to Drop PhD Title Over Plagiarism Row
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, Germany's defence minister, said he would "temporarily" drop his PhD title owing to a plagiarism scandal threatening to engulf the career of one the country's most popular politicians.

Following a meeting with Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg announced he would "temporarily give up my doctorate title" until a university investigation into alleged plagiarism in his PhD thesis was complete, but he refused to resign.

His announcement came as public prosecutors in Bayreuth, the town were [sic] Mr Guttenberg wrote the law dissertation at the centre of the scandal, said he was now under criminal investigation for copyright infringement and signing a false affidavit. >>> Matthew Day, Warsaw | Friday, February 18, 2011

Libyan Troops Attempt to Put Down Unrest in East

REUTERS: Soldiers sought to put down unrest in Libya's second city on Friday and opposition forces said they were fighting troops for control of a nearby town after crackdowns which Human Rights Watch said killed 24 people.

Protests inspired by the revolts that brought down long-serving rulers of neighbouring Egypt and Tunisia have led to violence unprecedented in Muammar Gaddafi's 41 years as leader of the oil exporting country.

The New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch said that according to its sources inside Libya, security forces had killed at least 24 people over the past two days. Exile groups have given much higher tolls which could not be confirmed.

Opponents of Gaddafi had designated Thursday a day of rage to try to emulate uprisings sweeping through North Africa and the Middle East. Unrest continued well into the night.

U.S. President Barack Obama said he was "deeply concerned" about reports of violence from Bahrain, a close U.S. ally, Libya and Yemen and urged governments to show restraint in dealing with protesters. >>> Tripoli | Friday, February 18, 2011

REUTERS: Exiles say Libyan city "in hands of people" >>> Geneva | Friday, February 18, 2011

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: 'Witnessing Gadhafi's Overthrow Would Be a Special Pleasure': The wave of rebellion in the Arab world keeps spreading, but brutal crackdowns in Libya and Bahrain show that pro-democracy demonstrators are by no means assured of success. German commentators argue that Moammar Gadhafi will be hard to topple and call on the EU to help prevent more violence. >>> David Gordon Smith | Friday, February 18, 2011

Middle East Protests: Live
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: At least four protesters are reported to have been killed and hundreds injured after police opened fire on an encampment of demonstrators in Bahrain.


To the live coverage >>> Nick Collins, Andy Bloxham and Barney Henderson | Friday, February 18, 2011

Mubarak's Legacy
For some three decades Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was a force for stability that led Egypt back into the center of Middle East politics. Deborah Lutterbeck reports

Source Says Ben Ali in Coma
Feb 18 - A Saudi source says former Tunisian president is in coma in Saudi Arabia after stroke. Jessica Gray reports

Related >>>

Morocco Protests Will Test Regime's Claims to Liberalism
THE GUARDIAN: Facebook groups are calling the country's youth on to the streets of cities including Casablanca, Marrakech, Rabat and Tangier on Sunday to demand constitutional reform and proper democracy

On 1 February, Issan Nadir tipped petrol on his clothes and set fire to himself outside the education ministry in the Moroccan capital of Rabat. It was yet another desperate act of self-immolation in a region where the example set by Muhammad Bouazizi, the Tunisian fruit seller who sparked a wave of revolution, has been imitated from Mauritania to Saudi Arabia.

The flames were doused before Nadir, a 27-year-old volunteer teacher demanding a paid job, could do as much damage to himself as Bouazizi. Video footage seen by the Guardian shows firefighters frantically putting out flames in front of the ministry.

After a week in Rabat's Ibn Sina hospital, Nadir is recovering in his home town of Safi. "He doesn't want to see anyone," says his friend and fellow protester Hafid Libi."If they don't do anything, there may be more of the same."

Nadir is not the only protester to have set fire to himself. Last week 26-year-old Mourad Raho died in Benguerir, 36 miles north of Marrakech. Five similar attempts have been reported in recent weeks.

Popular demonstrations called for this Sunday will be a test of both public upset with the regime led by King Mohammed VI and how far Morocco – which claims to be more liberal than its north African neighbours – is prepared to tolerate protest. >>> Giles Tremlett in Rabat | Friday, February 18, 2011

Secret Mideast Report Delivered in August
Feb 18, 2011: What was known prior to Egypt protests?

Bahrain Mourners Call for Toppling of Monarchy
FOX NEWS: MANAMA, BAHRAIN – Thousands of funeral mourners called for the downfall of Bahrain's ruling monarchy as burials began Friday after a deadly assault on pro-reform protesters that has brought army tanks into the streets of the most strategic Western ally in the Gulf.

The cries against Bahrain's king and his inner circle reflect an escalation of the demands from a political uprising that began by only asking for a weakening of the Sunni monarchy's hold on top government posts and addressing discrimination by the Shiite majority in the tiny island nation.

The mood, however, appears to have turned toward defiance of the entire ruling system after the brutal attack Thursday on a protest encampment in Bahrain's capital Manama, which left at least five dead, more than 230 injured and put the nation under emergency-style footing with military forces in key areas and checkpoints on main roadways.

"The regime has broken something inside of me ... All of these people gathered today have had something broken in them," said Ahmed Makki Abu Taki, whose 27-year-old brother Mahmoud was killed in the pre-dawn sweep through the protest camp in Manama's Pearl Square. "We used to demand for the prime minister to step down, but now our demand is for the ruling family to get out." >>> Associated Press | Wednesday, February 16, [sic?] 2011

THE GUARDIAN: Bahrain mourners call for end to monarchy: Mood of defiance against entire ruling system after brutal attack on Pearl Square protest camp that left at least five dead >>> Associated Press | Friday, February 18, 2011

Bahrain Mourners Protest Over Deadly Crackdown
Thousands mourn on the streets and the main opposition party quits parliament after the death of protesters in a police crackdown

Egypt: Thousands Gather in Tahrir Square for 'Victory March'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Egyptians held a nationwide "Victory March" on Friday to celebrate the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule one week on.

The scale of the march, which will also act as a memorial to the 365 people who died in the 18-day uprising that shook the Middle East, will be a gauge of Egyptian people power and of the nation's feeling about the transition to civilian rule.

With the Higher Military Council facing demands to free political prisoners and to lift emergency rules after dissolving parliament and suspending the constitution, all eyes will also be on how the military manages the event.

"We have agreed with the army to set up the stage for the celebrations today," said Ahmed Naguib, a member of the coordinating committee for a coalition of youth and political pro-democracy groupings.

The atmosphere was relaxed and jubilant as the military blocked off the square to traffic ahead of Friday prayers. Soldiers and organisers conducted searches of people streaming in while an army band played "Egypt the Great".

The crowd sang along, waving Egyptian flags, and chanting: "The army and the people are united." There were tanks and armoured vehicles at the 12 entrances to the sprawling square. >>> | Friday, February 18, 2011

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Pledges to Hold Fire
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Senior officers in Iran's Revolutionary Guards have written a letter to their commanding officer demanding assurances that they will not be required to open fire on anti-government demonstrators.

Following the recent violence that occurred during anti-government protests in Egypt, the officers argue that it is against the principles of Shi'ite Islamic law to use violence against their own people.

In a suggestion of a major split within the Islamic Republic's ruling hierarchy over its handling of anti-government protests, the letter has been circulated widely throughout the ranks of the Revolutionary Guards, the body responsible for defending religious system.

The letter, a copy of which has been seen by the Daily Telegraph, is addressed to Major Gen Mohammad Ali Jafari, the Guards' commanding officer. It calls on Major Gen Jafari to issue guidance to both the Revolutionary Guards and the Basij paramilitary militia to use restraint when handling anti-government protests.

During the violent anti-government demonstrations that followed the disputed presidential election in June 2009, which saw President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad elected to serve a second four-year term, the government relied heavily on the Basij to suppress the protests over fears that it could not rely on certain Guards units.

But in the letter, which is signed by senior officers commanding Guards units in Tehran, Qom, Isfahan and Tabriz, they urge Major Gen Jafari to "use your authority over the Basij to order them to leave their truncheons at home next time." >>> Con Coughlin | Thursday, February 17, 2011

Clashes Spread to Aden
February 18, 2011 - Anti and pro government clashes break out in Yemen, clerics say gun ownership poses a threat. Julie Noce, Reports

Pro and Anti Libyan Protests
February 18, 2011-Lack of communications in Libya hampers acurate information. Julie Noce Reports

China Using Debt to Deal with U.S.
Feb 17 - Summary of business headlines: WikiLeaks cables show China used its position as America's largest debt holder to apply pressure on the U.S. Wall Street rallies as strong regional factory data offset inflation signals, jobless claims spike. Conway G. Gittens reports

L'effet domino s'amplifie au Moyen-Orient
LE MONDE: Un mois après le départ du dictateur tunisien Ben Ali et quelques jours seulement après la chute du régime de Hosni Moubarak en Egypte, plusieurs mouvements de protestation gagnent les régimes autoritaires du Proche-Orient. La nuit de mercredi à jeudi a été particulièrement meurtrière pour les opposants venus manifester pour réclamer des réformes démocratiques. L'Irak a rejoint les pays en colère, une manifestation ayant fait un mort et des dizaines de blessés au Kurdistan. >>> LeMonde.fr | Jeudi 17 Février 2011

La Syrie baisse les taxes sur des produits alimentaires
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: CONTESTATION | En anticipant un soulèvement populaire, la Syrie a annoncé une série de mesures destinés à faire baisser le prix de produits alimentaires de base.

Le gouvernement syrien a annoncé une série de mesures destinées à faire baisser les prix de produits alimentaires de base. Cette annonce intervient alors qu’une vague de contestation politique et sociale sans précédent a déferlé sur le Moyen-Orient.
Les taxes ont baissé de 53,3% sur l’huile, de 20% sur les graisses animales et de 25% sur le sucre, indique un décret promulgué cette semaine par le président syrien Bachar al-Assad. >>> AFP | Vendredi 18 Février 2011

Saudi Arabia Closely Watching Bahrain

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Bahrain's Crackdown Wins Neighbors' Support >>> Joe Parkinson and Sam Dagher | Friday, February 18, 2011