Harvey and Irma remind us, all displaced persons around the globe share common problems and deserve common solutions - by R.M.

Irma : Floridians fleeing the State from natural disaster

As more than 5.4 million Floridians evacuate from the upcoming onslaught of Irma, while Texans are still recovering from the devastating damage caused by Hurricane Harvey, it might be a good moment to take a second, step out of our comfort zone, and realize the Floridians and Texans are not the only humans facing these problems around the world.

The only difference being that for one the calamity came as part of a natural disaster, from which they eventually can return home safely, and for the other, as a result of “man-made “ disasters, commonly known as wars and religious persecutions, and not able to return home.

We as humans, morally,  can not show compassion for one human being and withhold it from the other. Certainly not for those displaced persons, who were forced to flee from their home countries against their will and become refugees in foreign lands, and considered second rate citizens there.

A "master race" does not exist. Humans are all equal in the eyes of our Creator. There is no difference if you are a man or a woman, black, white, brown, yellow, African, American, Arab, Asian , European, Eskimo, or Indian.

People fleeing from "man-made"disasters reaching EU coasts

People fleeing from their homes and cities, either for religious persecution, or because they have been bombed to oblivion by either their own governments or others, and who fled seeking safety and economic prosperity in countries other than their own, should not be barred by any country. At least not by those who proclaim they hold human rights and other values dear to their heart.

Bottom line: Yes, we need to help and pray for all the stricken people in Florida and Texas, but must also include in our prayers all those other displaced persons around the world.

Displaced persons from Myanmar,,Syria, Afghanistan,Sudan,  and many other “disaster” areas, to mention just a few, deserve the same helping hand and prayers we usually reserve for our own.

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EU-Digest

Refugees: Record 65.6 million 'forcibly displaced' in 2016 - UN Global Trends Report Shows

Conflict or persecution forced a record 65.6 million people worldwide to flee their homes by the end of 2016. That equates to one person displaced every three seconds.

The United Nations released the figure on Monday (June 19), the eve of World Refugee Day.

According to the findings of its Global Trends report, children under the age of 18 make up over half of the refugee population.

Unaccompanied or separated minors – largely from Afghanistan or Syria – lodged around 75,000 applications in 70 countries last year, although it is thought this figure could be higher, due to incomplete data.

While around half a million people returned to their countries of origin, an estimated ten million are believed to be stateless.

These statistics are not only deplorable, but also show what a terrible effect conflicts around the world have had on these figures. The blame for this drama squarely rest on the shoulders of governments in the West, East, and Middle East, who have financed these proxy wars. It is a blatant fact, even if none of these countries ever is willing to admit it.   

For the complete UN report click here

Islam: Sudanese Woman Sentenced to Death After Marrying Christian

A pregnant 27-year-old Sudanese woman was sentenced to death by hanging Thursday for apostasy after marrying a Christian man and refusing to convert to Islam. Mariam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag also faces charges of adultery.

Ibrahim, who was born to a Muslim father but raised Orthodox Christian by her mother, was first sentenced on Sunday, but she was given until Thursday to change her mind and convert. She refused to do so, Al Jazeera reports.

“I am a Christian and I never committed apostasy,” Ibrahim said.

Ibrahim was found guilty of apostasy — the abandonment of one’s religious faith – because she was born to a Muslim father and married a Christian man. The adultery charge came as Islamic law prohibits Muslim women from marrying outside of their religion, a rule which effectively voided the marriage.

Read more: Sudanese Woman Sentenced to Death After Marrying Christian | TIME.com

Middle East Chaos: The Arab Spring Three Years On - by Richard Youngs

Each successive anniversary of the Arab Spring dampens the initial enthusiasm for the uprisings a little more.

At the three-year mark from the Tunisian and Egyptian revolts, the Middle East and North Africa now generate progressively more disquieting headlines. Even those observers who held the lowest expectations in 2011 might be shocked at how badly things have turned out.

In Egypt, the army is more fully in control after bludgeoning a new constitution into being. It is introducing restrictions on political freedoms that appear more draconian than those that existed under former president Hosni Mubarak.

In Syria, nearly as many people have died since 2011 as during the entirety of Algeria’s brutal civil war in the 1990s. Peace talks are struggling to gain traction. Militias run riot in Libya, able to sequester a prime minister with apparent impunity. Far from standing as a shining city on the hill, Turkey is mired in its own democratic unraveling.

Crucially, there is variety to the region’s authoritarian resilience. Resistance to reform ranges from the brutal (Syria) through the familiarly draconian (Egypt) to the more subtle (Morocco). In the Gulf states, those in power have resorted to the tactics of financial payoffs.

Radical jihadists have reestablished themselves after a pre–Arab Spring period in which the loose al-Qaeda franchise was palpably on the back foot. Jihadists have gained an unprecedented foothold even in Tunisia—the one country that remains on track toward something broadly recognizable as a democratic transition.

Unsurprisingly, against this background, the litanies of gloom are numerous and sobering. But is the picture as unremittingly despairing as it seems?

Arguably, the most negative possible reversal has not happened: on balance, people in the region have not lost their conviction in open politics.

Nearly every region in the world has passed through a “valley of tears” after initial democratic breakthroughs—a period of crushed expectations in which citizens question the merits of democracy. In the Middle East, some illiberal preferences have taken root, but polls constantly show a popular hunger for democratic change.

When the Muslim Brotherhood began contravening the core aims of Egypt’s 2011 revolution, even some Islamists turned against then president Mohamed Morsi. Many who sympathized with the army’s coup in July 2013, which ousted Morsi, now protest against it. Opinion in Egypt is changeable, as political alliances fluctuate.

Egypt’s problem is less a reversion to the status quo ante than a case of popular unease with power grabs by both the army and the Muslim Brotherhood. It is unclear whether Egypt is heading toward the restoration of full authoritarianism or a limited form of competitive autocracy.

The most striking feature of the Middle East three years on from the first uprisings is its indeterminacy. In many Arab states, there is no single, clear direction of travel. Small advances in democratic rights, stasis, and counterrevolution all occur simultaneously, clashing and colliding in increasingly unpredictable combinations.

Read more: The Arab Spring Three Years On - Carnegie Europe

Middle East: Curious U.S. and French Military Deployments

Stratfor, a provider of geopolitical analysis recently reported it had received multiple reports of U.S. and French military movements.

According to a worldwide network of aircraft spotters and trackers, at least a dozen MC-130H, HC-130N, HC-130P and AC-130U military transport planes and gunships crossed the Atlantic Ocean on Sept. 13 heading eastbound. These aircraft are typically used for a variety of special tasks, including in close cooperation with special operations forces. The last reported stop for the aircraft was Souda Bay, Crete. It is unclear as yet whether the aircraft have left Crete.

A week and a half later, on Sept. 24, the same network of aircraft spotters noted 12 U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets arriving in two waves at Moron air base in Spain.

Another report on Sept. 24, this one by the Le Figaro French-language newspaper, said some 100 French special operations troops had been deployed in the sub-Saharan region to counteract militants in northern Mali. Le Figaro also reported that maritime patrol aircraft that can be used to collect intelligence will be deployed to the region and that commandos of the French navy will reinforce the French special operations troops.

Also on Sept. 24, The New York Times published an article stating that Iraq and the United States were negotiating an agreement that could result in the return of small units of U.S. soldiers to Iraq on training missions. At the request of the Iraqi government, according to U.S. Gen. Robert Caslen, a unit of Army special operations soldiers was recently deployed to Iraq to advise on counterterrorism and to help with intelligence.

Finally, Italian journalist Guido Olimpio reported in September that U.S. unmanned aerial vehicles are currently tracking militants in Cyrenaica, the historical name for eastern Libya. He also said "reliable sources" had confirmed that U.S. special operations forces were planning to carry out intelligence operations that could be in preparation for surgical strikes in North Africa, including in Libya and in Mali.

All these deployments could be previously scheduled movements for training or part of ongoing operations, but on the other hand, taken together,these reports are too compelling to ignore. Given the fluid conflicts in North Africa, Syria and Afghanistan, as well as the current tensions with Iran.

EU-Digest

Middle East: UK and German embassies in Sudan targeted in protests

The UK and German embassies came under attack in Sudan Friday as unrest around the Muslim world continued to escalate over a US-made film mocking the Prophet Mohammed. The USA has put its embassies and consulates worldwide on high alert.

Anti-US protests by crowds whipped into fury by a film that ridicules Islam's Prophet Mohammed erupted across the Arab world on Friday, leading to an explosion of violence in Sudan, Yemen and Lebanon.
The protests came after Muslims emerged from mosques in their thousands following the weekly Friday main prayers to voice their anger at the film, which shows the prophet sleeping with women, talking about killing children and referring to a donkey as "the first Muslim animal."

In Khartoum, around 5,000 protesters stormed the embassies of Britain and Germany, which was torched and badly damaged, an AFP reporter said.

Police fired tear gas to disperse the protesters as several of them scaled the roof of the German embassy and others attacked its facade and tore down the flag to replace it with a black Islamist one, the reporter said.

EU-Digest: Freedom of Speech/Expression is a two way street. On the one hand it gives you the freedom to say and write what you believe in. On the other hand it also provides you the liberty to condemn or protest against what others say.  Freedom of Speech, however, leading to violence, and vandalism by radical groups resulting in death and destruction must be strongly condemned and considered criminal acts.

Read more: UK and German embassies in Sudan targeted in protests - MUSLIM WORLD - FRANCE 24

Middle East violence presents foreign policy challenges for both Obama, Romney - by Lee-Anne Goodman

A sudden eruption of anti-American turmoil in the Middle East poses challenges for both U.S. President Barack Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney, with both men facing tough questions about their foreign policy know-how less than 60 days before the Nov. 6 vote.

Romney was still on the hot seat Thursday for his assertion that the Obama administration sympathized with the forces storming Middle East U.S. embassies this week, while the president was facing even tougher, more substantive questions.

Does the United States have an intelligence gap in Libya that resulted in the slaying of U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens? Why was security seemingly so lax at U.S. diplomatic buildings in Libya and Egypt?

Was it a mistake for the U.S. to nudge Egypt's Hosni Mubarak, a longtime American ally, out of power? Why is the U.S. still regarded so poorly in the Muslim world after supporting pro-democracy rebels during the Arab Spring?

At a campaign stop in Colorado, Obama vowed again to catch those responsible for the deaths of Stevens and three other American diplomats, but didn't delve into the bigger issues at hand.

For more: Middle East violence presents foreign policy challenges for both Obama, Romne

Tunisia's Ben Ali Today Is Egypt's Mubarak Next? - By BMcPherson

Tunisia's long time ruler Ben Ali has fled to the Saudi Kingdom. Will the instability in Tunisia spread to Egypt and force Mubarak out next? Egypt has kept an iron fist closed on its activists for a long time. The imprisonment of dissidents has been harsh. Now human rights activists are predicting that Middle East countries ruled by dictators are gaining inspiration from the turbulence and ousting of a de facto dictator.

Egyptian human rights activist, Hossam Bahgat, is quoted: What happened in Tunisia ... will give unimaginable momentum to the cause for change in Egypt," he said.

Other Middle Eastern dictatorships may be shaken as well. On Friday demonstrators in Jordan rallied to demand the removal of their prime minister. Sudan's president Omar al Bashir is facing increasing opposition as his country faces numerous crises.

For more: Tunisia's Ben Ali Today Is Egypt's Mubarak Next?

Todays Zaman: EU objects to "convicted criminal" Omar al-Bashir's visit to Turkey

For the complete report from Todays Zaman click on this link

Turkey has received a request from the European Union to reconsider its decision to invite indicted Sudanese president Omar Hassan al-Bashir . Bashir, who in March became the first sitting head of state to be indicted by the ICC at The Hague, is among heads of state and government that İstanbul will host for an economic summit during the Organization of the Islamic Conference's (OIC) 25th session of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC). Meanwhile, during a visit to the eastern province of Elazığ on Friday, when reminded of the issue, President Abdullah Gül, the host of the summit and a former foreign minister, underlined that Bashir would not come to Turkey for a bilateral visit. “These are multilateral visits, everyone is visiting [Turkey] as a member of an international organization. Therefore, everyone should see it this way and should act with this understanding,” Gül was quoted as saying by the Anatolia news agency in an apparent reference to the EU’s uneasiness over the expected visit.

Note EU-Digest: there is a saying: "It is by the people you associate with that other people will judge you". Sudanese president Omar Hassan al-Bashir is a convicted criminal by the International Criminal Court in the Hague and when he sets his feet on Turkish soil should be apprehended by Turkish authorities and delivered to the International Criminal Court. "

DW: EU, NATO Helpless Against Piracy as Hijacks Become More Daring

For the complete report from the Deutsche Welle click on this link

EU, NATO Helpless Against Piracy as Hijacks Become More Daring

Efforts by the European Union and NATO to fight pirates off the coast of Somalia have proven futile. With a limited mandate, their ships cannot keep armed bandits from seizing merchant vessels and taking hostages. Pirates off the coast of Somalia captured another ship on Wednesday, Nov. 19. It is the third vessel since the spectacular hijacking of the Saudi supertanker "Sirius Star" last weekend. Although NATO, European and US vessels are stationed in the region, they are helpless in effectively battling the increasing problem of piracy -- though single operations are sometimes successful.

Note EU-Digest: the EU and Nato should follow the recent action of the Indian Navy by destroying pirate crafts or even doing a special combat mission to the area and clean out the pirates stronghold. The Sudan Government is too weak to do it themselves. Right now it seems the naval forces of Russia, the EU and the US are being held ransom by rag-tag pirates - this is ridiculous to say the least

Sun Sentinel: Sudan: President calls for Muslims to boycott Denmark

For the complete report from the Sun-Sentinel.com click on this link

Sudan: President calls for Muslims to boycott Denmark

President Omar al-Bashir vowed on Wednesday to ban Danes from Sudan and called for a Muslim boycott of Denmark before a crowd of tens of thousands denouncing the country at a government-backed protest against a cartoon satirizing the Prophet Muhammad. The rally outside al-Bashir's palace in Khartoum was the biggest protest in the Muslim world since Danish papers reprinted the cartoon, seen by many Muslims as insulting to their religion's most revered figure. The demonstration raised fears that renewed protests over the cartoon — so far small and scattered — could grow.