The Cordoba Update 08-21.09.2015

ISLAMIST-SECULAR RELATIONS /
RELATIONS ENTRE SÉCULIERS ET ISLAMISTES

Tunisia, 14.09.2015 : Ennahdha Weighs in First Act of Defiance of Anti-Terrorism Measures

The ministry of religious affairs made a U-turn on its decision to terminate Ridha Jaouadi, Imam of a mosque in Sfax. Many Imams were fired in the aftermath of the Sousse attacks last summer due to their allegedly extremist discourse. It is understood that Ennahdha Party has weighed in to force the government freeze to the decision against Imam Jaouadi. Ennahdha expressed its fear that repressive practices under the Ben Ali regime era which are revived in the name of fighting extremism and terrorism would be counter-productive and would push youth to embrace violence. Fethi Al Ayadi, head of Ennahdha’s Shura (consultative) Council said that those practices should end and that Ennahdha would defy and confront them.

Links for more information:
https://www.facebook.com/1464408300494431/photos/
http://kapitalis.com/tunisie/2015/09/16/sfax-ridha-jaouadi-assurera-le-preche-du-vendredi-prochain/
http://kapitalis.com/tunisie/2015/09/22/il-faut-sauver-le-soldat-battikh/

TRANSITION AND POLITICAL PARTICIPATION /
TRANSITION ET PARTICIPATION POLITIQUE

Egypt, 07-19.09.2015: Corruption leads to a New Government

Eleven officials of the Agriculture Ministry, including the country’s agriculture minister, have been referred to General Prosecution. The officials face accusations of illegally facilitating the sale of a piece of land, affiliated to the General Authority for Agriculture Reform in Dakahlia Governorate, 126 km north of Cairo. They are also accused of profiteering when they facilitated the licensing of a poultry farm in Upper Egypt’s Minya. A week later, PM Ibrahim Mahlab submitted his cabinet’s resignation to the Egyptian president. El-Sisi has chosen Sherif Ismail, the minister of petroleum in the outgoing cabinet of Ibrahim Mahlab, to form a new cabinet. Sherif Ismail, who has been minister of petroleum since July 2013, served as chairman of the state-owned Ganoub El-Wadi Petroleum Holding Company which manages exploration and production concessions, establishes joint ventures with private companies and constructs oil infrastructure. Photos immediately spread online showing Ismail appearing with one of those suspected of involvement in the corruption scandal that has hit the agriculture ministry. Ismail denied accusations of corruption levelled at him in the domestic media. He denied that he had used his position as petroleum minister to have his wife and a number of his relatives hired at the state-owned companies.

The new cabinet, announced on September 19, includes 16 new ministers out of 33 in total but few important posts were handed to newcomers. The defense, foreign and justice ministers all kept their jobs as did most economy-related ministers such as planning and supplies. A new public prosecutor, Judge Nabil Sadiq, was also appointed. Among the new ministers is General Mohamed Saeed al-Assar who appointed as a Minister of Military Production. He has a highly significant background in the armed forces, as he took part in two wars and was the head of the armament authority responsible for arms contracts. After retirement in 2003, he became assistant to the minister of defense, seeing a rotation of three presidents and four regimes. In October 2010, a US intelligence document revealed that he was primarily responsible for ridding the Middle East of nuclear weapons, along with harsh criticism of the Israeli nuclear file. In July 2011, he headed an Egyptian military delegation to the United States to conduct a strategic dialogue. Al-Assar said in a statement during August 2012 that Morsi’s decision to remove Tantawi from his post was taken in consultation with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). After the ousting of Morsi during 30 June 2013 revolution, al-Assar was handed the task of rejuvenating and establishment of strong ties with Russia in the military field, as a result of the US decision to halt military aid to Egypt.

Links for more information:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/09/egyptian-minister-arrested-quitting-graft-prob
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/141500/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-new-prime-minister
http://www.wsj.com/articles/egypt-swears-in-new-government-1442658819
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/19/us-egypt-government
http://www.albawabaeg.com/63537

Egypt, 13.09.2015: No to the “Constitution with Good Intentions”

On September 13 and a few weeks before the long-awaited elections for the House of Representatives on October 18, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said in his speech at the Suez Canal University that “The Constitution, with good intentions, is giving vast powers to the parliament. Countries cannot be managed by good intentions alone.” Sisi’s remarks have triggered a debate among politicians and commentators about the presidency’s intention to introduce a constitutional change granting it leverage against the anticipated parliament. Hussein Abdel-Razek, deputy chairman of the leftist Tagammu Party, said that “Is the Constitution supposed to be laid down with ill intentions?” adding that demanding a constitutional amendment before applying the existing constitution is “illogical.” But Mostafa Bakry, a journalist and an ardent backer of Sisi’s presidency, said that a constitutional amendment would restore authority denied to the president by the existing Constitution. “Egypt is not qualified for a mixed presidential-parliamentary system of government, nor for a parliamentary one and changes ought to be made in favor of presidential powers.”

Links for more information:
http://egypt.shafaqna.com/EN/EG/2783453
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/articles/africa/21138

Libya, 10-22.09.2015: Leon: “Our Job is Done”

Leon declared late at night on Monday that UNSMIL’s part of the work was done and that it was up to the Libyan political leaders to accept or reject the final text when they return to a final round of talks after the Eid celebration on 24 October. Echoes from the dialogue talks indicate that the latest version was reduced to 65 articles instead of the 75 last week’s draft comprised. Leon said in his press conference that both the GNC and the HoR agree to the new text and that the final session after Eid would only discuss the five names that would constitute the presidential council of the National Accord Government. Before last weekend’s round, the GNC insisted on three amendments (respect of Constitutional Court decision of 2 November 2014 regarding the HoR; no place for Hafter in the future Libya; annulment of all decisions voted by the HoR). Hafter reacted by launching Operation Hatf (or annihilation in Arabic). Operation Hatf (a play on first letters in his name) aimed at derailing the talks in Skhirat last week. Leon issued a communique in which he, for the first time, condemned Hafter’s military operation, after the GNC threatened to withdraw from the talks if the UN did not condemn the attacks. There is little incentive for both parties to sign. Both camps in Tripoli and Tobruk are divided. On both sides, there are those who see an opportunity in the 20 October deadline when the HoR’s term expires. Others think that no agreement by that deadline would mean a descent in the abyss for Libya. Among the GNC there is a line of reasoning which considers that after 20 October the Tobruk HoR would lose its legal foundation and become equal to the GNC. That scenario would create a political vacuum, however, warn their opponents in the same GNC. In Tobruk, there are elements who see an opportunity after the deadline. They envisage forming a military council headed by Hafter right before the deadline. Their opponents in Tobruk remind them that if Operation Dignity failed to deliver after 18 months when the HoR enjoyed international community support, how it would deliver after 20 October when that legal founding would be gone. Overall, even if an agreement were reached after the Eid feast, the challenge would be to ensure its implementation on the ground in Tripoli. Who would secure the National Accord Government if some militia and armed groups did not support the political agreement?

Links for more information:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmuXVhF0WeA
http://unsmil.unmissions.org/Default.aspx?tabid=3543&ctl=Details&mid=6187&ItemID=2099254
https://www.libyaherald.com/2015/09/21/hor-slams-unsmil-army-fighting-terrorism-not-the-dialogue/
http://unsmil.unmissions.org/Default.aspx?tabid=3543&ctl=Details&mid=6187&ItemID=2099249
http://www.arab-reform.net/libya%E2%80%99s-political-dialogue-needs-more-security-content
http://www.marsad.ly/en/constituent-assembly-in-ghadames-to-deliberate-and-vote-on-constitution-draft/
http://ifta.ly/web/index.php/2012-09-04-09-55-33/2015/2846

Tunisia, 11.09.2015: President Essebsi Compelled to Review Economic Reconciliation Bill

The showdown by the opposition on 11 September in rallies against Essebsi’s proposed economic and reconciliation bill, under consideration in the parliament, seemed to have compelled Caid Essebsi to go back to the drawing board and take into consideration the opposition’s demands. The government considers the bill a necessary measure in order to re-boost the economy and attract investment. On the other hand, the opposition sees it as merely a measure to allow corrupt businessmen under the former Ben Ali regime to normalise their ill acquired fortunes and escape accountability that would result from the work of the Truth and Justice Committee. The leftist Popular Front of Hama Hamami fiercely opposes the economic reconciliation bill, but in addition so does a coalition of other centrist and civil society organisations of different ideological backgrounds including Ben Jafaar’s liberal Atakatul Party. Ennahdha, however, is struggling to reconcile its duties as a minority stakeholder in the government with its accountability toward its restless youth base. Rachaed Ghanaoushi said last week that the proposed bill should not contradict the transitional justice imperatives for the success of political transition in Tunisia.

Links for more information:
http://kapitalis.com/tunisie/2015/09/19/reconciliation-economique-la-presidence-revoit-sa-copie/
http://kapitalis.com/tunisie/2015/09/22/ennahdha-oui-a-la-reconciliation-economique-sous-conditions/

RELATIONS BETWEEN MUSLIM COMMUNITIES WITH DIFFERENT RELIGIOUS REFERENCES /
RELATIONS ENTRE LES COMMUNAUTÉS MUSULMANES DE DIFFÉRENTES AFFILIATIONS RELIGIEUSES

Liban, en cours : Le Mouvement Populaire pour une Société Séculière au-delà du Sectarisme

Le mouvement populaire qui a commencé à manifester dans les rues de Beyrouth en août persiste et affermit ses revendications. Au départ, le mouvement «You Stink» («Tu pues») s’était formé suite à l’incapacité de la classe politique de résoudre la crise des ordures ménagères qui se sont amassées cet été dans les rues faute d’être ramassées. Le mouvement demandait la fin de la corruption, puis il a demandé la démission du gouvernement Tammam Salam avant d’étendre cette demande à tous les membres du Parlement. Ces derniers ont vu leurs mandats être étendus depuis les dernières élections législatives de 2009 pour cause de divisions politiques internes et d’instabilité régionale.

Le système politique libanais est profondément divisé en deux blocs. Un bloc est mené par le parti Mustaqbal, parti du sunnite Saad Hariri qui a le soutien de l’Arabie saoudite. Le second est mené par le mouvement chiite Hezbollah, allié du régime syrien et qui bénéficie du soutien de l’Iran. Les forces chrétiennes sont divisées entre ces deux blocs. Cette division et le sectarisme dominant la vie politique libanaise sont les principales sources de la paralysie du système et de tout développement dans le pays. Ainsi un grand nombre de manifestants réclament à présent un Etat séculier au-delà du système sectaire qui domine le Liban depuis la fin de la guerre civile.

Liens pour plus d’informations :
http://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/comment/2015/9/9/lebanon-a-breath-of-fresh-air
http://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2015/9/21/lebanon-you-stink-protesters-stage-anti-mps-demo

Etats du Golfe-Iran, 17.09.2015: L’Iran Appelle les Etats du Golfe à se Joindre au Mouvement de Rapprochement International

Suite à une déclaration commune des Etats du Golfe accusant l’Iran d’interférer dans leurs affaires internes, la porte-parole du Ministère des affaires étrangères iranien a rejeté ces accusations comme étant sans fondement et s’est déclarée surprise que les Etats arabes continuent à considérer l’Iran comme une menace dans l’atmosphère post-accord nucléaire.

De l’autre côté, les Etats arabes du Golfe doivent gérer la pression d’une partie de la société qui réclame des positions encore plus fermes vis-à-vis de leur grand voisin. C’est le cas du Koweït où des membres du Parlement ont appelé leur gouvernement à prendre des mesures politiques beaucoup plus dures incluant la rupture de tout lien diplomatique et la déclaration de Hezbollah comme groupe terroriste.

Liens pour plus d’informations :
http://blink.htcsense.com/web/articleweb.aspx
http://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2015/9/10/calls-for-banning-kuwaitis-from-travelling-to-iran

Kuwait, 15.09.2015: Seven Sentenced to Death for Shiite Mosque Bombing

A Kuwaiti court sentenced seven people to death on Tuesday for their roles in the Shiite mosque bombing claimed by the Islamic State group that happened last June. Among them was a man described by the court as the “wali” or leader of the local branch of ISIS. The court charged the defendants with using explosives with the intention of “killing, spreading terror, committing murders, joining an internationally banned group that promotes toppling the ruling system with illegitimate means and threatening the country’s unity”, KUNA, the Kuwaiti news agency, reported.

Links for more information:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/09/15/Kuwait-sentences-7-to-death
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/09/sentenced-death-kuwait-mosque-bombing
http://www.france24.com/en/20150915-kuwait-court-sentences-7-death-shiite-mosque-bombing
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/kuwait/kuwait-court-sentences-7-to-death-for-shi-ite

VIOLENT EXTREMISM AND THE WAR ON TERROR /
EXTRÉMISME VIOLENT ET LA GUERRE CONTRE LA TERREUR

Cross-regional + US, 08-21.09.2015: The War on Terror: How to Fight Terrorists

The Obama Administration is moving towards major changes in its military train-and-equip program for the Syrian opposition after the acknowledged failure of efforts to create a new force of rebel fighters to combat ISIL there. In comments that appeared to shock even many of those involved in policy on Syria elsewhere in the government, Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, the head of the US Central Command, told Congress on that only “four or five” trainees from the program, a $500 million plan officially launched in December to prepare as many as 5,400 fighters this year, have ended up “in the fight” inside Syria.

President Obama’s effort to train a Syrian opposition army to fight ISIL on the ground has been an abysmal failure. However, the White House says it is not to blame. The finger, it says, should be pointed not at Obama but at those who pressed him to attempt training Syrian rebels in the first place — a group that, in addition to congressional Republicans, happened to include former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

In Syria, president Bashar al-Assad gave an interview to Russian media outlets saying that “we are at War with Terrorism, and this Terrorism is supported by Foreign Powers” and “refugees are fleeing Syria because of terrorism.” Meanwhile, the government of Iran has reportedly released five senior members of al-Qaeda earlier this year, including the man who stepped in to serve as the terrorist group’s interim leader immediately after Osama bin Laden’s death and who is the subject of a $5 million bounty, according to an American official who had been briefed on the matter. Iran’s release of the five men was part of a prisoner swap in March with al-Qaeda’s branch in Yemen, the group holding an Iranian diplomat, Nour Ahmad Nikbakht. Nikbakht was kidnapped in the Yemeni capital of Sana in July 2013. The Iranian government, in a statement on Thursday after the release was reported by Sky News earlier this week, denied that the five men had been freed.

In Egypt, security sources said that as many as 800 Egyptian soldiers arrived in Yemen late on Tuesday, September 8, swelling the ranks of a Gulf Arab military contingent which aims to rout the Houthi group after a five-month civil war. On September 9, U.S. defense officials said that the U.S. is sending dozens of additional troops and equipment to improve protection for U.S. peacekeepers in the northern Sinai Peninsula in the aftermath of a roadside bomb attack that wounded four U.S. soldiers.

Links for more information:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/18/world/finger-pointing-but-few-answers-after-a-syria-solution-fails
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/administration-searches-for-new-approach
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/18/world/middleeast/iran-released-top-members-of-al-qaeda
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/17/world/middleeast/isis-isil-syrians-senate-armed
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/official-us-beefing-protection-sinai-peacekeepers
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/09/us-yemen-security
http://www.globalresearch.ca/president-bashar-al-assad-interview-we-are-at-war-with-terrorism

Egypt, 14.09.2015: Army Kills Tourists not Terrorists

An Egyptian aeroplane and helicopters attacked a convoy carrying Mexican tourists on a desert trek, on September 14, as authorities in Cairo probe an apparent militant-hunting mission that went awry and left at least 12 people dead. Egyptian authorities have claimed the tourist convoy was in the area ‘illegally.’ A Mexican tourist who survived the air strike in Egypt says their convoy was bombed five times over a period of three hours, even after security forces on the ground had cleared their passage. Egypt’s prosecution has imposed a gagging order on the investigation into the mistaken killing. The gagging order applies to audio, video, and print media, as well as internet sites. On September 21, 2015, the Egyptian Ambassador to Mexico, Yasser Shaban, said in an interview published by the Mexico City daily El Universal, “I can’t assure you at this time that it was something done by the army, since they were conducting an operation at that very time in the same area,” the ambassador said, adding that the investigating commission formed by the Egyptian Attorney General’s Office will determine who carried out the attack.

Links for more information:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-18/mexican-survivor-recounts-aerial-bombing-ordeal-in-egypt
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/egyptian-forces-fire-on-tourist-convoy-killing-12-officials-say/
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2015/09/20/egyptian-ambassador-says-army-may-not-have
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/17/mexican-tourists-describe-repeated-egyptian-airstrikes

Tunisia, 18.09.2015: 110 Security Members Terminated

The ministry of interior announced last week that 110 security elements were terminated and around 6 of them would stand trial in court. The ministry spokesperson explained that investigation audits of the rank and file of the police, army and customs revealed that recruitment procedures in the period 2012-2015 were not very thorough. The communique explained that collusion and suspicious links between these 110 elements and smuggling or terrorist groups were uncovered. The announcement has stunned Tunisian public opinion. Crisis Group made a number of recommendations concerning security sector reform last July.

Links for more information:
http://www.lapresse.tn/article/le-licenciement-de-110-securitaires
http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/regions/middle-east-north-africa/north-africa/tunisia/161(English)
http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/regions/middle-east-north-africa/north-africa/tunisia/161(French)
http://www.lapresse.tn/article/la-guerre-contre-le-terrorisme-coutera-a-la-tunisie
http://kapitalis.com/tunisie/2015/09/11/defense-la-tunisie-recoit-27-humvees-de-us-army/

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