Excerpts:Jordan's new Crown Prince.Saudi sacks mosque sermonizers for
'extremist thought', etc.Update on Iran.Jordan Times excludes Jews from item
on interfaith conference.Jordan's new Crown Prince. Saudi sacks mosque
sermonizers for 'extremist thought', etc.Lebanon needs guarantees from Syria
(dismantle Palestinian bases, demarc border). Assets frozen of 'foreign
terrorist outfit'.Syria's demands on Lebanon 3 July 2009

+++Mosque sackings for 'extremist thought' and 'negligence'
By Naeem Tameem Al-Kaheem
FULL TEXTJEDDAH - The Chairman of the Imams and Khateebs Assessment
Committee at the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Azzam Al-Shuway'er, has said
that a number of imams and khateebs (persons who give Friday sermons) have
been dismissed from their positions citing as reasons "extremist thought,
illness and negligence of mosques".
Al-Shuway'er described the dismissal of khateebs as "not easy", requiring
numerous approvals and procedures.
"Field committees first file a request to Shariah committees at the ministry
where it is then passed on to a higher committee," Al-Shuway'er said. "A
sacking has to be approved at all of these three stages."

+++THE DAILY STAR Lebanon) 3 July '09:"Iran's leaders fear their own people
most"By Shaazka Beyerle
SUBJECT: Update on Iran
QUOTE: "Iran's rulers may generate conspiracy theories about 'a velvet
revolution staged by foreigners', but in reality it is their own legacy and
people they fear"

FULL TEXT:On Monday(29 June) something surprising happened in Iran. It
wasn't the Guardian Council's certifying the results of the June 12
presidential election - the questionable victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over
Mir Hossein Mousavi. It wasn't that thousands of people took to the streets
even though electricity, landline and mobile phone connections were cut. Nor
was it that security forces were out en masse. It was that citizens
confounded the authorities with dispersed actions. According to Roozonline,
rather than concentrating in one place, groups formed across Tehran -
"something that government agents did not expect, and so [they] did not know
how to respond ..."
Civil resistance is more than huge demonstrations. People power is expressed
through the sustained, strategic use of noncooperation, civil disobedience,
mass actions, strikes, boycotts, social networking, and over 200 nonviolent
tactics designed to win popular support, shake-up the status quo, and weaken
the oppressor's sources of control.
The Mahatma Gandhi once pointed out, "Even the most powerful cannot rule
without the cooperation of the ruled." Iran's clerics depend on people to
carry out their orders - to run the country and to suppress. Nonviolent
movements succeed not necessarily when there are masses on the streets, but
when a large enough number of citizens withdraws its cooperation from the
system, disobeys and disrupts, thereby dissolving the power of the
oppressors and undermining their rule.
. . .Reports indicate that Iranians are indeed engaging in low-risk mass
actions, such as turning on car headlights and, apparently, writing slogans
on money and standing in front of security forces holding the Koran. The
nightly rooftop calls of "Allahu Akbar" are increasing by the day, and
people are wearing black both as a symbol of defiance and as a sign of
mourning for dead protesters. Last week, Mousavi urged citizens to walk
about the bazaars but refrain from buying. A report in The Los Angeles Times
says that "commerce has slowed to a trickle" in the grand bazaar, which
normally would be at its busiest as Ramadan approaches.
Second, as in past cases, a campaign to win over parts of the security
forces may be pivotal. According to Iranian analyst Afshin Molavi, "the
Basiji volunteer militia ... [is] not monolithic." The Revolutionary Guard's
Tehran chief was detained, and 16 Guard members were apparently arrested
after disobeying orders to shoot protesters. If these reports are correct,
they are signs of the regime's growing weakness.
Finally, nonviolent discipline must be maintained. Only nonviolent methods
can enlist the active participation of citizens, spur defections, and
encourage disobedience among those carrying out the oppressors' orders.
Moreover, nonviolent discipline denies oppressors the excuse to crack down,
so when they do, as is happening in Iran, they lose credibility among their
own supporters.
There are growing rifts in the ruling establishment. Pro-reform clerics have
expressed anger and Grand Ayatollahs Yousof Sanei and Hossein-Ali Montazeri
have called Ahmadinejad's government illegitimate. Faezeh Rafsanjani, the
daughter of the former president, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, openly backs
Mousavi. Her father, who chairs the Assembly of Experts, is attempting to
consolidate support to remove Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the supreme leader,
and replace his position with a small committee of senior ayatollahs. Iran's
Parliament speaker, Ali Larijani, has announced that he wants to set up a
parliamentary committee to examine the recent post-election violence in an
"evenhanded way." Ayatollah Abdul-Karim Mousavi Ardebili stated that
"people's protests should not be silenced through the use of force." On top
of this, around a hundred parliamentarians snubbed Ahmadinejad's victory
dinner. If these rifts widen, the system could begin breaking apart.
The Nobel laureate, Thomas Schelling, wrote 30 years ago that nonviolent
actions can deny oppressors what they need, including money, food, supplies
and manpower. From this perspective, can the Iranian regime indefinitely cut
electricity, phone links and internet without hurting its own interests?
Even attempts to demobilize the popular movement have costs. Moreover,
coercion isn't cheap. It requires huge sums to feed, transport and arm
security forces, as well as to maintain the loyalty of the inner circles and
top commanders in the state. During the "people power" revolution in the
Philippines, the public withdrew its money from banks associated with the
Marcos dictatorship and stopped paying utility bills. Will Iranians invent
their own low-risk disruptions?
Iranians can draw upon their own rich history of nonviolence, spanning over
a century, for inspiration, including the 1979 Islamic Revolution that ended
the brutal rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Iran's rulers may generate
conspiracy theories about a "velvet revolution staged by foreigners," but in
reality, it's their own legacy and people they fear.
*Shaazka Beyerle is a senior adviser with the International Center on
Nonviolent Conflict,

+++JORDAN TIMES 3 July '09:"Kingdom's interfaith efforts highlighted in
Kazakhstan"By Hani Hazaimeh
FULL TEXT: AMMAN - Jordan's history of interfaith dialogue took centre stage
as dozens
of religious leaders gathered on Thursday in Kazakhstan.
Deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah at the Third Congress of the
Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, which opened in the Kazakhstani
capital Astana on Wednesday(1jULY), Director of the Royal Al al Bayt
Foundation for
Islamic Thought Saeed Hijjawi underlined the Amman Message, the Common Word
Initiative and the recent visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the Kingdom as some
of the many steps Jordan has taken to improve interfaith relations.
In his address, titled, "The Virtue of Tolerance and the Recognition of
Differences", he underlined the Kingdom's role in support of dialogue among
civilisations.
"Jordan has been keen to highlight the true image of Islam out of its
spiritual and historical responsibility," Hijjawi said, stressing that King
Abdullah's efforts in this regard have contributed to the increasing global
respect of Islam.
The Amman Message, which was launched in November 2004 and translated into
several key languages, seeks to reveal a message of tolerance and humanity
and rejects extremism as a deviation from Islamic beliefs.
It stresses the true values of Islam and advocates a proper understanding of
the faith, which honours all human beings and provides common ground among
different faiths and peoples.
Meanwhile, the Common Word Initiative seeks to provide common ground for
several organisations and individuals working in the area of interfaith
dialogue around the world.
The initiative was launched on October 13, 2007 as an open letter signed by
138 leading Muslim scholars and intellectuals (including such figures as the
grand muftis of Egypt, Syria and Jordan) to the leaders of Christian
churches and denominations all over the world.[IMRA: No Jewish clerics?]
The Astana conference, which was initiated by Kazakh President Nursultan
Nazarbayev, saw the participation of representatives from different world
religions, including Christianity, Islam and Zoroastrianism, Kazakhstan's
Ambassador to Jordan Bulat Sarsenbayev told The Jordan Times in an interview
earlier this week.
The ambassador said the conference aims to highlight the role of religious
leaders in "building a world based on tolerance, mutual respect and
cooperation".
"Kazakhstan is a good example of coexistence where people of various ethnic
groups live in one country peacefully and in harmony," Sarsenbayev said,
noting that the country is home to more than 120 ethnic groups.
"It is a national idea in our country to accept the other and be tolerant,"
he added.

+++JORDAN TIMES 3 July '09:"(15 year-old)Prince Hussein named Crown Prince"
AMMAN (JT) - A Royal Decree was issued Thursday(2 July) naming HRH Prince
Hussein, the eldest son of His Majesty King Abdullah, as Crown Prince
effective July 2, 2009.
The decree read: "We, King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,
acting under Paragraph A of Article 28 of the Constitution, issue our Royal
Decree naming our eldest son, His Royal Highness Prince Hussein Ben Abdullah
II, as Crown Prince. He shall be vested with all rights and privileges
pertaining to this decree." The Crown Prince was born on June 28, 1994.

+++Mosque sackings for 'extremist thought' and 'negligence'
By Naeem Tameem Al-Kaheem
FULL TEXTJEDDAH - The Chairman of the Imams and Khateebs Assessment
Committee at the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Azzam Al-Shuway'er, has said
that a number of imams and khateebs (persons who give Friday sermons) have
been dismissed from their positions citing as reasons "extremist thought,
illness and negligence of mosques".
Al-Shuway'er described the dismissal of khateebs as "not easy", requiring
numerous approvals and procedures.
"Field committees first file a request to Shariah committees at the ministry
where it is then passed on to a higher committee," Al-Shuway'er said. "A
sacking has to be approved at all of these three stages."

+++NAHARNET (Lebanon) 3 July '09:"Gemayel: We Won't Forget the Past, We Need
Guarantees from Syria"

QUOTE: "Damascus should give guarantees and show its good intentions"

FULL TEXT:Phalange party leader Amin Gemayel said Friday(3 July) that Syria
has to prove its good intentions towards Lebanon by dismantling armed
Palestinian bases and demarcating the border.
"We want good relations (with Syria) and we support technical visits between
the two countries. But we need to know where are we heading and what are the
guarantees," Gemayel told LBC TV network.

He said Damascus should give guarantees and show its good intentions by not
resorting to the obstruction of Lebanese government work, dismantling armed
Palestinian bases, demarcating the border, unveiling the fate of missing
Lebanese and recognizing the Lebanese identity of Shebaa farms area.

"The difference between us and Syria is that it wants a relationship based
on turning the page on the past," the Phalange leader told LBC.

"Our stance is clear: We didn't make all these sacrifices to neglect the
country again," Gemayel said. "We need to know who killed the martyrs."

On the Syrian-Saudi summit that is expected to take place in Damascus on
Monday(6 July), Gemayel said: "It's better for the summit to be held in
Riyadh if Lebanon wants to participate in it."

+++NAHARNET (Lebanon) 3 July '09:"U.S. Sanctions on Kata'ib Hizbullah, Iran
Adviser",Agence France Presse
SUBJECT: Assets frozen of 'foreign terrorist outfit'

The United States imposed financial sanctions Thursday(2 July) on an adviser
to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iraq-based Shiite group
Kata'ib Hizbullah, branded a foreign terrorist outfit.
The U.S. Treasury Department said it froze the assets of Abu Mahdi
al-Muhandis, an adviser to the commander of Iran's Qods Force, an arm of the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and Shiite "extremist" group
Kata'ib Hizbullah for being a security threat in Iraq.

Al-Muhandis was identified also with 19 aliases.

The IRGC was accused of providing material support to various militant
groups -- Lebanon-based Hizbullah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine -- General Command.

Further, the IRGC-Qods Force provided "lethal support to Kata'ib Hizbullah
and other Iraqi Shiite militia groups who target and kill" U.S. or Coalition
troops and Iraqi security forces, a Treasury statement said.

The IRGC-Qods Force was named a "specially designated global terrorist"
group by the Treasury Department in 2007.

The State Department also on Thursday designated Kata'ib Hizbullah a
"foreign terrorist organization" for allegedly "committing or posing a
significant risk of committing acts of terrorism."

"Al-Muhandis and Kata'ib Hizbullah have committed, directed, supported, or
posed a significant risk of committing acts of violence against Coalition
and Iraqi Security Forces," the statement said.

Between March 2007 and June 2008, Baghdad-based Kata'ib Hizbullah members
participated in multiple rocket-propelled grenade and improvised
rocket-assisted mortar attacks against U.S. forces, it said.

It alleged that Kata'ib Hizbullah was funded by the IRGC-Qods Force and
received weapons training and support from Lebanon-based Hizbullah.

In one instance, the statement said, Hizbullah provided training to Kata'ib
Hizbullah members in Iran.

The Treasury sanctions came under an executive order targeting insurgent and
militia groups and their supporters.

"These designations play a critical role in our efforts to protect coalition
troops, Iraqi security forces, and civilians from those who use violence
against innocents to intimidate and to undermine a free and prosperous
Iraq," said Stuart Levey, under secretary for terrorism and financial
intelligence.(AFP)

+++NAHARNET (Lebanon) 3 July '09:"Syria Sets Conditions, Wants 'Price' to
Facilitate Deal on Lebanon Government "
QUOTE:"Syrian conditions are 'impossible to implement' "
Syria, not only has set conditions, but reportedly wants a price beforehand
to facilitate formation of a new Lebanese government.. . . Syria has
proposed that the various Lebanese parliamentary blocs visit Damascus to
strike a deal on the formation of a national unity government.

It said Syria is seeking to reach an agreement in Damascus similar to that
of Doha in May 2008 which ended a long-running political crisis that nearly
drove the country to a new civil war.

The daily An Nahar,...said the Syrian conditions are "impossible to
implement."

Among these conditions, An Nahar said, was a visit to Damascus by Prime
Minister-designate Saad Hariri as part of a tripartite summit between
Lebanon, Syria and Saudi Arabia prior to government formation.

It said the basket of conditions appeared to be closer to pushing the March
14 coalition into relinquishing the victory after achieving a majority in
Parliament.

While the opposition declined to comment on media leakage about Saudi-Syrian
contacts, sources concerned with the issue told al-Hayat that Damascus was
in a rush toward normalization of ties.
============================
Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA