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Increasing our strength in all dimensions is a divine command. When it comes to the Islamic System and Islamic Government, it becomes even more important to act upon this divine command. Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei provides us with a short interpretation of the following verse of the Holy Quran. Chapter 8 (al-Anfal), Verse 60: “Has the time not come that the hearts of those who believe should become humbled to Allah\\\'s remembrance and to the Truth that Allah has revealed. They must not be like those to whom the Book was given before, but a long period passed on them [in which they didn’t repent], therefore their hearts became hard, and [thus] many of them are corrupted (sinners).” #ShortTafsir #Interpretation #Quran #Concepts #Beliefs

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earn how to build a Javascript WYSIWYG Rich Text HTML Editor Textarea Replacement for your PHP and MySQL driven applications. In this second video we will script our wysiwyg.js file and code out all of the functions that our HTML form is ready to call. We make use of the execCommand() method in Javascript and all of its Command Identifiers to apply specific formatting we desire to our WYSIWYG editor. Our form is submit using Javascript so we can transfer the data frome our iframe into our textarea for the normal form action to work. The form can also be submit using Ajax if you prefer, then there would be no need to transfer data from the iframe into the textarea. In part 3 we discuss the PHP and MySQL side of things, security, and filtering.

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Countless blessings and congratulations be upon the believers all across the world and upon humanity in general, on the auspicious birth of the divinely appointed Messenger of Allah, the holy Prophet Muhammad (S). Islamic Pulse is humbled and honored to present our very first Unity Week special talk show that focuses on Muslim Unity. In this episode, we sit down and talk with Shaykh Muhammad Husayn about how Muslim Unity is a divine command of Allah and has been mentioned in the holy Qur'an, as well as what practical things we can do to promote and strengthen Islamic Unity. #IPTalkShow #IslamicPulse #Messenger #Prophet #Muhammad #UnityWeek #Muslims #Islam #Unity

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In a recent speech, the Leader of the Islamic Ummah, Imam Sayyid Ali Khamenei, has spoken about the \\\"Explanation/Clarification\\\" Jihad? What is the explanation/clarification Jihad that has been emphasized by the Leader? And what are some of the goals of the enemies of Iran, the enemies of the Islamic Republic, the enemies of the Islamic Revolution, and truly, the enemies of Islam? Furthermore, what role does cyberspace and the internet have to play in this explanation/clarification Jihad? Finally, what is a definite principle for one and all, when engaged in this explanation/clarification Jihad? Become a shining lamp of guidance, and light up your environment with Truth and Justice. It\'s time to get working. #SoftWar #Truth #Evil #PublicOpinion #Discourse #Logic #Intellect #Reasoning #Jihad #IntellectualJihad #Internet #Cyberspace #VirtualSpace #Order #Command #Youth

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What is one of the main goals of the Islamic Republic of Iran; and what does the Holy Qur\'an say about it? And what are the various dimensions of power? Additionally, why is it essential to have more youths in a society? Finally, what is the extent of the domination of cyberspace on our lives and why is power in this arena vital? The Leader of the Islamic Revolution – Imam Sayyid Ali Khamenei – answers and explains the different dimensions of power.

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To carry out Hajj rituals pilgrims need to be in a state of Ihram, which is a special state of spiritual purity, helping to reconnect the people with God. They do this by wearing special white clothes (which are also called ihram). These white robes are meant to present unity and to break down all barriers including social and economic ones. There are a number of locations or miqats designated for wearing ihram garment. For those arriving from Medina, it's Shajarah Mosque. After wearing the Ihram pilgrims say a chant to officially start entering into the state of Ihram. Here I am, O God, at Thy Command! Here I am at Thy Command! Thou art without associate; Here I am at Thy Command! Thine are praise and grace and dominion! Thou art without associate. Pilgrims believe that the moment, when they make their intention while in Ihram dress is a very special and moving moment.

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Imam Sajjad-s Duaa (suplication/prayer)in Bidding Farewell to the Month of Ramadan Kareem by Br. Syed Aftab Haider Naqvi at Al-Haadi Musalla Toronto Urdu.....English version of His Supplication in Bidding Farewell to the Month of Ramadan 1 O God, O He who desires no repayment! 2 O He who shows no remorse at bestowal! 3 O He who rewards not His servant tit for tat! 4 Thy kindness is a new beginning, Thy pardon gratuitous bounty, Thy punishment justice, Thy decree a choice for the best! 5 If Thou bestowest, Thou stainest not Thy bestowal with obligation, and if Thou withholdest, Thou withholdest not in transgression. 6 Thou showest gratitude to him who thanks Thee, while Thou hast inspired him to thank Thee. 7 Thou rewardest him who praises Thee, while though Thou hast taught him Thy praise. 8 Thou coverest him whom, if Thou willed, Thou wouldst expose, and Thou art generous toward him from whom, if Thou willed, Thou wouldst withhold. Both are worthy of Thy exposure and withholding, but Thou hast founded Thy acts upon gratuitous bounty, channelled Thy power into forbearance, 9 received him who disobeyed Thee with clemency, and disregarded him who intended wrongdoing against himself. Thou awaitest their turning back without haste and refrainest from rushing them toward repentance, so that the perisher among them may not perish because of Thee and the wretched may not be wretched through Thy favour, but only after Thy prolonged excusing him and successive arguments against him, as an act of generosity through Thy pardon, O Generous, and an act of kindliness through Thy tenderness, O Clement! 10 It is Thou who hast opened for Thy servants a door to Thy pardon, which Thou hast named "repentance". Thou hast placed upon that door a pointer from Thy revelation, lest they stray from it: Thou hast said (blessed are Thy names), Repent toward God with unswerving repentance! It may be that Thy Lord will acquit of your evil deeds and will admit you into gardens beneath which rivers flow, 11 upon the day when God will not degrade the Prophet and those who have faith along with him, their light running before them and on their right hands, and they say: "Our Lord, complete for us our light, and forgive us! Surely Thou art powerful over everything." What is the excuse of him who remains heedless of entering that house after the opening of the door and the setting up of the pointer? 12 It is Thou who hast raised the price against Thyself to the advantage of Thy servants, desiring their profit in their trade with Thee, their triumph through reaching Thee, and their increase on account of Thee, for Thou hast said (blessed is Thy Name and high art Thou exalted), Whoso brings a good deed shall have ten the like of it, and whoso brings an evil deed shall only be recompensed the like of it. 13 Thou hast said, The likeness of those who expend their wealth in the way of God is as the likeness of a grain of corn that sprouts seven ears, in every ear a hundred grains; so God multiplies unto whom He wills. Thou hast said, Who is he that will lend to God a good loan, and He will multiply it for him manifold? And Thou hast sent down in the Qur"an similar verses on the multiplying of good deeds. 14 It is Thou who hast pointed them through Thy speech from Thy Unseen and Thy encouragement in which lies their good fortune toward that which - hadst Thou covered it from them - their eyes would not have perceived, their ears would not have heard, and their imaginations would not have grasped, for Thou hast said, Remember Me and I will remember you be thankful to Me, and be you not thankless towards Me! Thou hast said, If you are thankful, surely I will increase you, but if you are thankless, My chastisement is surely terrible; 15 And Thou hast said, Supplicate Me and I will respond to you, surely those who wax too proud to worship Me shall enter Gehennam utterly abject. Hence Thou hast named supplicating Thee "worship" and refraining from it "waxing proud", and Thou hast threatened that the refraining from it would yield entrance into Gehennam in utter abjection. 16 So they remember Thee for Thy kindness, they thank Thee for Thy bounty, they supplicate Thee by Thy command, and they donate for Thee in order to seek Thy increase; in all this lies their deliverance from Thy wrath and their triumph through Thy good pleasure. 17 Were any creature himself to direct another creature to the like of that to which Thou Thyself hast directed Thy servants, he would be described by beneficence, qualified by kindness, and praised by every tongue. So to Thee belongs praise as long as there is found a way to praise Thee and as long as there remains for praising words by which Thou may be praised and meanings which may be spent in praise! 18 O He who shows Himself praiseworthy to His servants through beneficence and bounty, flooding them with kindness and graciousness! How much Thy favour has been spread about among us, Thy kindness lavished upon us, and Thy goodness singled out for us! 19 Thou hast guided us to Thy religion which Thou hast chosen, Thy creed with which Thou art pleased, and Thy path which Thou hast made smooth, and Thou hast shown us proximity to Thee and arrival at Thy generosity! 20 O God, among the choicest of those duties and the most special of those obligations Thou hast appointed the month of Ramadan, which Thou hast singled out from other months, chosen from among all periods and eras, and preferred over all times of the year through the Qur"an and the Light which Thou sent down within it, the faith which Thou multiplied by means of it, the fasting which Thou obligated therein, the standing in prayer which Thou encouraged at its time, and the Night of Decree which Thou magnified therein, the night which is better than a thousand months. 21 Through it Thou hast preferred us over the other communities and through its excellence Thou hast chosen us to the exclusion of the people of the creeds. We fasted by Thy command in its daylight, we stood in prayer with Thy help in its night, presenting ourselves by its fasting and its standing to the mercy which Thou hast held up before us, and we found through it the means to Thy reward. And Thou art full of what is sought from Thee, munificent with what is asked of Thy bounty, and near to him who strives for Thy nearness. 22 This month stood among us in a standing place of praise, accompanied us with the companionship of one approved, and profited us with the most excellent profit of the world"s creatures. Then it parted from us at the completion of its time, the end of its term, and the fulfilment of its number. 23 So we bid farewell to it with the farewell of one whose parting pains us, whose leaving fills us with gloom and loneliness, and to whom we have come to owe a safeguarded claim, an observed inviolability, and a discharged right. We say: Peace be upon thee, O greatest month of God! O festival of His friends! 24 Peace be upon thee, O most noble of accompanying times! O best of months in days and hours! 25 Peace be upon thee, month in which expectations come near and good works are scattered about! 26 Peace be upon thee, comrade who is great in worth when found and who torments through absence when lost, anticipated friend whose parting gives pain! 27 Peace be upon thee, familiar who brought comfort in coming, thus making happy, who left loneliness in going, thus giving anguish! 28 Peace be upon thee, neighbour in whom hearts became tender and sins became few! 29 Peace be upon thee, helper who aided against Satan, companion who made easy the paths of good-doing! 30 Peace be upon thee - How many became freedmen of God within thee! How happy those who observed the respect due to thee! 31 Peace be upon thee - How many the sins thou erased! How many the kinds of faults thou covered over! 32 Peace be upon thee - How drawn out wert thou for the sinners! How awesome wert thou in the hearts of the faithful! 33 Peace be upon thee, month with which no days compete! 34 Peace be upon thee, month which is peace in all affairs! 35 Peace be upon thee, thou whose companionship is not disliked, thou whose friendly mixing is not blamed! 36 Peace be upon thee, just as thou hast entered upon us with blessings and cleansed us of the defilement of offenses! 37 Peace be upon thee - Thou art not bid farewell in annoyance nor is thy fasting left in weariness! font face=arial size=3> 38 Peace be upon thee, object of seeking before thy time, object of sorrow before thy passing! 39 Peace be upon thee - How much evil was turned away from us through thee! How much good flowed upon us because of thee! 40 Peace be upon thee and upon the Night of Decree which is better than a thousand months! 41 Peace be upon thee - How much we craved thee yesterday! How intensely we shall yearn for thee tomorrow! 42 Peace be upon thee and upon thy bounty which has now been made unlawful to us and upon thy blessings gone by which have now been stripped away from us! 43 O God, we are the people of this month. Through it Thou hast ennobled us and given us success because of Thy kindness, while the wretched are ignorant of its time. Made unlawful to them is its bounty because of their wretchedness. 44 Thou art the patron of the knowledge of it by which Thou hast preferred us, and its prescribed practices to which Thou hast guided us. We have undertaken, through Thy giving success, its fasting and its standing in prayer, but with shortcomings, and we have performed little of much. 45 O God, so to Thee belongs praise, in admission of evil doing and confession of negligence, and to Thee belongs remorse firmly knitted in our hearts and seeking of pardon sincerely uttered by our tongues. Reward us, in spite of the neglect that befell us in this month, with a reward through which we may reach the bounty desired from it and win the varieties of its craved stores! 46 Make incumbent upon us Thy pardon for our falling short of Thy right in this month and make our lives which lie before us reach the coming month of Ramadan! Once Thou hast made us reach it, help us perform the worship of which Thou art worthy, cause us to undertake the obedience which Thou deservest, and grant us righteous works that we may fulfil Thy right in these two months of the months of time. 47 O God, as for the small and large sins which we have committed in this our month, the misdeeds into which we have fallen, and the offenses which we have earned purposefully or in forgetfulness, wronging ourselves thereby or violating the respect due to others, bless Muhammad and his Household, cover us over with Thy covering, pardon us through Thy pardoning, place us not before the eyes of the gloaters because of that, stretch not toward us the tongues of the defamers, and employ us in that which will alleviate and expiate whatever Thou disapprovest from us within it through Thy clemency which does not run out, and Thy bounty which does not diminish! 48 O God, bless Muhammad and his Household, redress our being afflicted by our month, bless us in this day of our festival and our fast-breaking, make it one of the best of days that have passed over us, the greatest in attracting Thy pardon, and the most effacing toward sins, and forgive us our sins, both the concealed and the public! 49 O God, with the passing of this month make us pass forth from our offenses, with its departure make us depart from our evil deeds, and appoint us thereby among its most felicitous people, the most plentiful of them in portion, and the fullest of them in share! 50 O God, when any person observes this month as it should be observed, safeguards its inviolability as it should be safeguarded, attends to its bounds as they should be attended to, fears its misdeeds as they should be feared, or seeks nearness to Thee with any act of nearness-seeking which makes incumbent upon him Thy good pleasure and bends toward him Thy mercy, give to us the like [of that] from Thy wealth and bestow it upon us in multiples through Thy bounty, for Thy bounty does not diminish, Thy treasuries do not decrease but overflow, the mines of Thy beneficence are not exhausted, and Thy bestowal is the bestowal full of delight! 51 O God, bless Muhammad and his Household and write for us the like of the wages of him who fasted in it or worshipped Thee within it until the Day of Resurrection! 52 O God, we repent to Thee in our day of fast-breaking, which Thou hast appointed for the faithful a festival and a joy and for the people of Thy creed a time of assembly and gathering, from every misdeed we did, ill work we sent ahead, or evil thought we secretly conceived, the repentance of one who does not harbour a return to sin and who afterwards will not go back to offense, an unswerving repentance rid of doubt and wavering. So accept it from us, be pleased with us, and fix us within it! 53 O God, provide us with fear of the threatened punishment and yearning for the promised reward, so that we may find the pleasure of that for which we supplicate Thee and the sorrow of that from which we seek sanctuary in Thee! 54 And place us with Thee among the repenters, those upon whom Thou hast made Thy love obligatory and from whom Thou hast accepted the return to obeying Thee! O Most Just of the just! 55 O God, show forbearance toward our fathers and our mothers and all the people of our religion, those who have gone and those who will pass by, until the Day of Resurrection! 56 O God, bless our prophet Muhammad and his Household, as Thou hast blessed Thy angels brought nigh, bless him and his Household, as Thou hast blessed Thy prophets sent out, bless him and his Household, as Thou hast blessed Thy righteous servants - and better than that, O Lord of the worlds! - a blessing whose benediction will reach us, whose benefit will attain to us, and through which our supplication may be granted! Thou art the most generous of those who are beseeched, the most sufficient of those in whom confidence is had, the most bestowing of those from whom bounty is asked, and Thou art powerful over everything!

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Islamic Song / Nasheed about Imam al-Mahdi(AJ) - With English Subtitles and completely re-done video. Poetic translation (as on Video): Oh Proof of Allah(AJ), we complain to you! Oh Proof of Allah(AJ), we complain to you! Come to us, Come to us, We are here for you, Oh We are here for you. Come to us, Come to us, We are here for you, Oh We are here for you. Oh Proof of Allah(AJ), we complain to you! Oh Proof of Allah(AJ), we complain to you! Come to us, Come to us, We are here for you, Oh We are here for you. Come to us, Come to us, We are here for you, Oh We are here for you. Time is coming towards us, Oh our Master(AJ)! - Oh Mahdi(AJ)! Come to our aid, Oh son of Hasan(AJ) Oh our Master(AJ)! - Oh Mahdi(AJ)! Time is coming towards us, Oh our Master(AJ)! - Oh Mahdi(AJ)! Come to our aid, Oh son of Hasan(AJ) Oh our Master(AJ)! - Oh Mahdi(AJ)! Oh The Remnent of Allah(AJ) (Baqiyyat Allah(AJ)), we complain to you! Oh The Remnent of Allah(AJ) (Baqiyyat Allah(AJ)), we complain to you! Come to us, Come to us, We are here for you, Oh We are here for you. Come to us, Come to us, We are here for you, Oh We are here for you. Oh Proof of Allah(AJ), Oh Proof of Allah(AJ), Oh Proof of Allah(AJ), We complain to you! The Hope of the Oppressed, Oh our Master(AJ) - Oh Mahdi(AJ)! Oh The Call of the Revolutionaries, Oh our Master(AJ) - Oh Mahdi(AJ)! The Hope of the Oppressed, Oh our Master(AJ) - Oh Mahdi(AJ)! Oh The Call of the Revolutionaries, Oh our Master(AJ) - Oh Mahdi(AJ)! Oh The Cry of the Oppressed Ones, Oh our Master(AJ) - Oh Mahdi(AJ)! Oh The Cry of the Oppressed Ones, Oh our Master(AJ) - Oh Mahdi(AJ)! The hearts of the children, yearn for you! The hearts of the children, yearn for you! Come to us, Come to us, We are here for you, Oh We are here for you. Come to us, Come to us, We are here for you, We are here for you. Oh Proof of Allah(AJ), Oh Proof of Allah(AJ), Oh Proof of Allah(AJ), We complain to you! When will the relief come (with your return), Oh our Master(AJ)?! - Oh Mahdi(AJ)! And the joy for the Believers (upon your return), Oh our Master(AJ)?! - Oh Mahdi(AJ)! When will the relief come (with your return), Oh our Master(AJ)?! - Oh Mahdi(AJ)! And the joy for the Believers (upon your return), Oh our Master(AJ)?! - Oh Mahdi(AJ)! And the destruction of the criminal tyrants, Oh our Master(AJ)! - Oh Mahdi(AJ)! And the destruction of the criminal tyrants, Oh our Master(AJ)! - Oh Mahdi(AJ)! The command of Nasrallah(HA), guides us towards you. The command of Nasrallah(HA), guides us towards you. Come to us, Come to us, We are here for you, We are here for you. Come to us, Come to us, We are here for you, We are here for you. Oh Proof of Allah(AJ), we complain to you! Oh Proof of Allah(AJ), we complain to you! Come to us, Come to us, We are here for you, Oh We are here for you. Come to us, Come to us, We are here for you, Oh We are here for you!

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A former NATO officer claims US Special Forces have conducted secret raids inside Pakistan's border regions. The operations were conducted between 2003 and 2008, but only one was ever made public. According to reports, troops were looking for high value targets among both the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. The one that became widely known in September 2008 was condemned as a provocation by the Pakistani government. Ethnic groups from Pakistans Belugistan province where most of the raids occurred blame the government in Islamabad for allowing these things to happen, said RT LIVE investigative journalist Webster Tarpley. He pointed out that President Obamas West point speech of December 2 is a thinly veiled declaration of war against Pakistan in the sense that it announces the intent of the US to promote the dismemberment, the partition of Pakistan along ethnic lines and in order to do that you have to create trouble on the ground. Ambassador Richard Holbrook, who is the US tsar for the region, was asked Do you have troops in Pakistan? and he said The US has intelligence personnel in Pakistan but not troops. And I would ask What about the contractors, Mr Ambassador? asked Tarpley. Webster Tarpley disclosed information published in The Nation and Vanity Fair magazines about Blackwater Select and Total Intelligence Solutions having massive snatch and grab and even assassination operations run out of Karachi, Pakistans largest city, under the command of the US Joint Special Operations Command and CIA. The Taliban refused to take responsibility for some explosions in public places in Pakistan and blamed the CIA for destabilizing the situation in the country through terror. I guess from some points of view the golden age of Blackwater was perhaps not under Bush/ Cheney but it is now under Obama, Tarpley said, and they are running wild in ways they trample the sovereignty of Pakistan as a country.

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بسم‌الله‌الرحمن‌الرحیم الحمدلله رب العالمین و صلوات الله و تحیاته علی سیدالانام محمدٍ المصطفی و آله الطیبین و صحبه المنتجبین. « Louange à DIEU seigneur des Mondes. Les prières de DIEU et ces salutations sur le maître des créatures Mohammad El Mostafa, sa Famille Pure et les Compagnons choisis.» Le printemps du Hajj est là, avec sa fraîcheur et sa pureté spirituelle, avec sa majesté et sa grandeur divine, pour que les cœurs des croyants passionnés puissent graviter autour de la Kaaba de l’unicité (de Dieu) et de l’unité (de l’Umma). La Mecque, Mina, Mash’ar et Arafat abritent en ces jours des hommes heureux d\'avoir répondu à l’appel: \" و اذّن فی الناس بالحج.. \" (Et fais aux gens une annonce pour le Hajj - S22v27) et honorés d’être présents au banquet de Dieu. C\'est ici la demeure bénie de Dieu, le siège de l\'orientation des hommes, d’où rayonnent les versets manifestes et lumineux, s’étendant sur la Création comme un abri protecteur. Purifiez votre cœur à la source Zamzam, source de la sérénité, de l’invocation et de la soumission! Ouvrez les yeux de votre âme aux signes manifestes de la Vérité ! Retrouvez la pureté et l’abandon à Dieu, témoins de la vraie soumission ! Revivez en permanence la mémoire de ce père qui, s’abandonnant à son Dieu, amena son fils Ismaël au sacrifice ! C’est ainsi que vous connaîtrez la voie évidente de l’amitié de Dieu, et marcherez dans la Voie, qui ne demande que votre volonté, votre dévotion et votre sincérité. La Station d\'Ibrahim est l\'un de ces signes manifestes. L\'empreinte du pied d’Ibrahim, près de la Kaaba, n’est qu\'une expression de sa place éminente. La vraie dignité d’Ibrahim est celle de sa foi indéfectible, de son abnégation et de son sacrifice; de sa résistance aux tentations et à sa passion de père, et de son combat contre l\'impiété, le polythéisme et la tyrannie de son temps. Ces deux voies de salut sont toujours ouvertes à chacun d\'entre nous, membres de l’Umma islamique. La volonté, le courage et la détermination, voilà ce qui peut nous conduire aux objectifs vers lesquels les prophètes de Dieu, d’Adam à Mohammad ( SAW ) le Khatam (le sceau de la prophétie), ont appelé l’humanité toute entière, en lui promettant dignité et béatitude sur terre et dans l’au-delà. Lors de cet auguste événement, les pèlerins doivent également se consacrer aux importants problèmes qui agitent le monde musulman. Au premier plan, à l\'heure actuelle, les révoltes et révolutions qui bouleversent un certain nombre de pays. Entre le Hajj de l’an dernier et celui de cette année, des évènements majeurs ont eu lieu dans le monde musulman, des évènements capables de changer le destin de l’Umma islamique, et qui laissent présager un avenir radieux et digne, marqué par le progrès spirituel et matériel. En Egypte, en Tunisie et en Libye, des Tâghoût dictateurs, corrompus et dépendants de l’étranger, ont été tirés à bas. En d\'autres pays, les vagues retentissantes des soulèvements populaires menacent de ruine et de destruction les palaces bâtis sur le pillage et l’oppression. C\'est un nouveau chapitre qui s’ouvre ainsi dans l’histoire de notre Umma, un chapitre qui révèle des vérités, des signes divins, clairs et manifestes, et nous donne des leçons édifiantes. Ces vérités doivent être prises en considération par toutes les nations musulmanes. D’abord, le fait que de nos jours, après des années de domination politique étrangère, une nouvelle génération de jeunes animés d’une confiance en soi exemplaire, allant au devant des dangers, entre en action, et se dresse face aux puissances hégémoniques, une génération déterminée à changer sa situation et l\'ordre mondial. Ensuite, le fait que malgré les efforts cachés ou évidents de « désislamisation » de ces pays par les forces hégémonistes antireligieuses, l\'islam, à l’instar d’une source abondante, de par son influence grandissante et sa présence bienveillante, réussit à donner une nouvelle fraîcheur et vie au discours et au comportement des millions de Musulmans à travers le monde, en orientant les cœurs et les langues. Les appels à la prière, les salles de prières pleines, les slogans tels que « Dieu est Grand » sont autant de signes évidents qui en disent long sur cette vérité, et les élections récentes en Tunisie n’en sont qu’une preuve irréfutable de plus. Il ne fait aucun doute que dans chacun des pays musulmans, en cas d’élections libres, le résultat ne différera guère de celui de la Tunisie. Un autre fait marquant des événements de l’année écoulée fut la démonstration que Dieu, Adoré et Omnipotent, a mis dans la volonté et la détermination des nations une puissance inégalée. Munies de cette force divine, les nations musulmanes peuvent changer leur destin et remporter la victoire accordée par Dieu. Désormais, les puissances arrogantes et à leur tête l’Amérique qui, par des stratagèmes politiques et sécuritaires, avaient assujetti des décennies durant les Etats de la région et pensaient avoir aplani le chemin pour leur mainmise grandissante sur la vie économique, politique et culturelle de cette partie sensible du monde, sont devenues la première cible du ressentiment et de la haine des peuples de la région. Il ne fait aucun doute que les régimes issus de ces révolutions ne seront plus prêts à se soumettre à l\'ordre passé, et la volonté des peuples bouleversera la géopolitique de cette région, dans le sens de la dignité et de l\'indépendance des nations. Un autre point important de cette année a été le fait que ces événements ont mis en évidence la nature perfide et hypocrite des puissances occidentales. En Egypte, en Tunisie et en Libye, - chaque pays à sa manière -, l’Amérique et l’Europe se sont dépensées sans compter pour maintenir leurs laquais au pouvoir, et c\'est uniquement lorsque la volonté des peuples s\'est montrée invincible qu’elles ont commencé à offrir leur amitié hypocrite. Les signes manifestes de Dieu dans cette région ont été si nombreux cette année qu’il n’est guère difficile, à ceux qui réfléchissent, de les apercevoir. Cependant, l\'Umma islamique et en particulier les nations révoltées ne doivent pas oublier deux nécessités vitales: - La persévérance dans la résistance. Les nations doivent éviter d\'être démoralisées et tenir fermement le cap. Ainsi que l\'ordonna Dieu à son Prophète (S): \"فاستقم كما امرت و من تاب معك و لاتطغوا \" (Demeure sur le droit chemin comme il t\'est commandé, ainsi que ceux qui sont revenus [à Dieu] avec toi, et ne commettez pas d\'excès – S11V112) \" فلذلك فادع و استقم كما امرت\" (Appelle donc (les gens) à cela; reste droit comme il t\'a été commandé – S42V15) et Moïse(S) à son peuple : « \" و قال موسي لقومه استعينوا بالله و اصبروا، ان الارض لله يورثها من يشاء من عباده و العاقبه للمتقين\" ». (Moïse dit à son peuple : \"Demandez aide auprès de Dieu et soyez patients, car la terre appartient à Dieu. IL la donne en héritage à qui IL veut parmi ces serviteurs – S 7V128) La grande vertu des nations aujourd\'hui en révolte serait de ne pas abandonner leurs efforts et de ne pas se contenter des acquis du moment. S\'ils réussissent, le «bienheureux destin» promis aux vertueux prendra son sens. - La vigilance face aux ruses de l’arrogance mondiale et des puissances dont les intérêts ont été menacés par ces révolutions. Ces puissances ne resteront pas inactives et se serviront de leurs capacités politique, sécuritaire et financière pour regagner leur influence et reprendre le contrôle dans ces pays. Leurs moyens sont la corruption, l\'intimidation et la ruse. L’expérience a montré que même l\'élite des nations peut inclure des individus maniables par ces moyens, qui par crainte, par convoitise ou par négligence, se trouvent à leur su ou insu au service de l’ennemi. Il faut que les jeunes, les intellectuels et les savants religieux demeurent attentifs à ce danger. Le danger le plus important qui menace les régimes politiques nouveaux de ces pays libérés demeure celui de l’ingérence des irréligieux et des arrogants. Ils feront tout ce qui en leur pouvoir pour empêcher les nouveaux régimes d\'acquérir leur identité islamique et populaire. Or, tous ceux qui souhaitent la dignité, la grandeur et le progrès de ces pays, se doivent de préserver le caractère populaire et islamique de ces nouveaux régimes. Le rôle des constitutions est déterminant dans ce processus. L’unité nationale et la reconnaissance des différences religieuses, ethniques et raciales constituent la condition des victoires futures. Les peuples courageux et révolutionnaires d\'Egypte, de Tunisie et de Libye, et toutes les autres nations révoltées et combattantes doivent savoir qu\'ils ne seront libres du joug de l’oppression et de la perfidie des Etats-Unis et des arrogantes puissances occidentales, qu’en changeant les rapports de force mondiaux en leur faveur. Pour que les Musulmans puissent sérieusement régler le compte aux pilleurs du monde, il faut qu’ils s’élèvent et qu\'ils forment une grande puissance mondiale, et une telle chose nécessite la coopération, la solidarité et l’unité des pays musulmans. Accomplir ceci, voilà le vœu inoubliable du grand Imam Khomeiny. L’Amérique et l’Otan, prétextant vouloir combattre l’infâme dictateur Kadhafi, ont bombardé le peuple libyen des mois durant. Juste avant que le peuple libyen se soulève courageusement contre Kadhafi, ce même Kadhafi n’était-il pas l’ami proche des membres de l\'Otan et de l\'Amérique, celui que ces derniers serraient dans les bras, embrassaient, celui dont ils baisaient la main, pour le flatter et mieux piller les richesses de la Libye ?... Après le soulèvement, n’ont-ils pas détruit toutes les infrastructures de la Libye, soi-disant pour combattre Kadhafi ? Quel gouvernement a pu empêcher l\'Otan de massacrer la population et de détruire les villes ? Tant que les dents et les griffes de ces puissances sanguinaires et sauvages occidentales ne sont pas brisées, de tels dangers persisteront pour les pays musulmans. La libération ne peut être obtenue qu\'avec la création d’un bloc islamique puissant dans le monde. L’Occident, l’Amérique et le sionisme sont de nos jours plus affaiblis que jamais. Des difficultés économiques, des échecs successifs en Afghanistan et en Irak, les importants mouvements de contestation, s\'étendant quotidiennement, qui secouent l\'Amérique et les autres pays occidentaux, le combat et les sacrifices des peuples palestiniens et libanais, les soulèvements courageux des populations au Yémen, en Bahreïn et en d’autres pays contre le joug américain, tous ces évènements sont de bonnes nouvelles pour le futur de l’Umma islamique, notamment pour les pays musulmans en révolution. Les croyantes et les croyants, partout dans le monde musulman, en particulier en Egypte, en Tunisie et en Libye, doivent intelligemment mettre à profit cette occasion, dans l’objectif de créer une puissance internationale islamique. L’élite et l’avant-garde de ces mouvements doivent se confier à Dieu et avoir confiance en Ses promesses de victoire, afin d’orner ce chapitre glorieux de l’histoire de l’Umma islamique par de nouvelles et définitives victoires qui satisferont Dieu et seront le prélude à Son triomphe éternel. والسلام علي عباد الله الصالحين سيدعلي حسيني‌ خامنه‌اي 29 ذيقعده 1432

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DAMASCUS, (SANA)-President Bashar al-Assad gave an interview to al-Manar TV broadcasted on Thursday, Following is the full text of the interview: Al-Manar: In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful. Assalamu Alaikum. Bloodshed in Syria continues unabated. This is the only constant over which there is little disagreement between those loyal to the Syrian state and those opposed to it. However, there is no common ground over the other constants and details two years into the current crisis. At the time, a great deal was said about the imminent fall of the regime. Deadlines were set and missed; and all those bets were lost. Today, we are here in the heart of Damascus, enjoying the hospitality of a president who has become a source of consternation to many of his opponents who are still unable to understand the equations that have played havoc with their calculations and prevented his ouster from the Syrian political scene. This unpleasant and unexpected outcome for his opponents upset their schemes and plots because they didn’t take into account one self-evident question: what happens if the regime doesn’t fall? What if President Assad doesn’t leave the Syrian scene? Of course, there are no clear answers; and the result is more destruction, killing and bloodshed. Today there is talk of a critical juncture for Syria. The Syrian Army has moved from defense to attack, achieving one success after another. On a parallel level, stagnant diplomatic waters have been shaken by discussions over a Geneva 2 conference becoming a recurrent theme in the statements of all parties. There are many questions which need answers: political settlement, resorting to the military option to decide the outcome, the Israeli enemy’s direct interference with the course of events in the current crisis, the new equations on the Golan Heights, the relationship with opponents and friends. What is the Syrian leadership’s plan for a way out of a complex and dangerous crisis whose ramifications have started to spill over into neighboring countries? It is our great pleasure tonight to put these questions to H. E. President Bashar al-Assad. Assalamu Alaikum, Mr. President. President Assad: Assalamu Alaikum. You are most welcome in Damascus. Al-Manar: Mr. President, we are in the heart of the People’s Palace, two and a half years into the Syrian crisis. At the time, the bet was that the president and his regime would be overthrown within weeks. How have you managed to foil the plots of your opponents and enemies? What is the secret behind this steadfastness? President Assad: There are a number of factors are involved. One is the Syrian factor, which thwarted their intentions; the other factor is related to those who masterminded these scenarios and ended up defeating themselves because they do not know Syria or understand in detail the situation. They started with the calls of revolution, but a real revolution requires tangible elements; you cannot create a revolution simply by paying money. When this approach failed, they shifted to using sectarian slogans in order to create a division within our society. Even though they were able to infiltrate certain pockets in Syrian society, pockets of ignorance and lack of awareness that exist in any society, they were not able to create this sectarian division. Had they succeeded, Syria would have been divided up from the beginning. They also fell into their own trap by trying to promote the notion that this was a struggle to maintain power rather than a struggle for national sovereignty. No one would fight and martyr themselves in order to secure power for anyone else. Al-Manar: In the battle for the homeland, it seems that the Syrian leadership, and after two and a half years, is making progress on the battlefield. And here if I might ask you, why have you chosen to move from defense to attack? And don’t you think that you have been late in taking the decision to go on the offensive, and consequently incurred heavy losses, if we take of Al-Qseir as an example. President Assad: It is not a question of defense or attack. Every battle has its own tactics. From the beginning, we did not deal with each situation from a military perspective alone. We also factored in the social and political aspects as well - many Syrians were misled in the beginning and there were many friendly countries that didn’t understand the domestic dynamics. Your actions will differ according to how much consensus there is over a particular issue. There is no doubt that as events have unfolded Syrians have been able to better understand the situation and what is really at stake. This has helped the Armed Forces to better carry out their duties and achieve results. So, what is happening now is not a shift in tactic from defense to attack, but rather a shift in the balance of power in favor of the Armed Forces. Al-Manar: How has this balance been tipped, Mr. President? Syria is being criticized for asking for the assistance of foreign fighters, and to be fully candid, it is said that Hezbollah fighters are extending assistance. In a previous interview, you said that there are 23 million Syrians; we do not need help from anyone else. What is Hezbollah doing in Syria? President Assad: The main reason for tipping the balance is the change in people’s opinion in areas that used to incubate armed groups, not necessarily due to lack of patriotism on their part, but because they were deceived. They were led to believe that there was a revolution against the failings of the state. This has changed; many individuals have left these terrorist groups and have returned to their normal lives. As to what is being said about Hezbollah and the participation of foreign fighters alongside the Syrian Army, this is a hugely important issue and has several factors. Each of these factors should be clearly understood. Hezbollah, the battle at Al-Qseir and the recent Israeli airstrike – these three factors cannot be looked at in isolation of the other, they are all a part of the same issue. Let’s be frank. In recent weeks, and particularly after Mr. Hasan Nasrallah’s speech, Arab and foreign media have said that Hezbollah fighters are fighting in Syria and defending the Syrian state, or to use their words “the regime.” Logically speaking, if Hezbollah or the resistance wanted to defend Syria by sending fighters, how many could they send - a few hundred, a thousand or two? We are talking about a battle in which hundreds of thousands of Syrian troops are involved against tens of thousands of terrorists, if not more because of the constant flow of fighters from neighboring and foreign countries that support those terrorists. So clearly, the number of fighters Hezbollah might contribute in order to defend the Syrian state in its battle, would be a drop in the ocean compared to the number of Syrian soldiers fighting the terrorists. When also taking into account the vast expanse of Syria, these numbers will neither protect a state nor ‘regime.’ This is from one perspective. From another, if they say they are defending the state, why now? Battles started after Ramadan in 2011 and escalated into 2012, the summer of 2012 to be precise. They started the battle to “liberate Damascus” and set a zero hour for the first time, the second time and a third time; the four generals were assassinated, a number of individuals fled Syria, and many people believed that was the time the state would collapse. It didn’t. Nevertheless, during all of these times, Hezbollah never intervened, so why would it intervene now? More importantly, why haven’t we seen Hezbollah fighting in Damascus and Aleppo? The more significant battles are in Damascus and in Aleppo, not in Al-Qseir. Al-Qseir is a small town in Homs, why haven’t we seen Hezbollah in the city of Homs? Clearly, all these assumptions are inaccurate. They say Al-Qseir is a strategic border town, but all the borders are strategic for the terrorists in order to smuggle in their fighters and weapons. So, all these propositions have nothing to do with Hezbollah. If we take into account the moans and groans of the Arab media, the statements made by Arab and foreign officials – even Ban Ki-moon expressed concern over Hezbollah in Al-Qseir – all of this is for the objective of suppressing and stifling the resistance. It has nothing to do with defending the Syrian state. The Syrian army has made significant achievements in Damascus, Aleppo, rural Damascus and many other areas; however, we haven’t heard the same moaning as we have heard in Al-Qseir. Al-Manar: But, Mr. President, the nature of the battle that you and Hezbollah are waging in Al-Qseir seems, to your critics, to take the shape of a safe corridor connecting the coastal region with Damascus. Consequently, if Syria were to be divided, or if geographical changes were to be enforced, this would pave the way for an Alawite state. So, what is the nature of this battle, and how is it connected with the conflict with Israel. President Assad: First, the Syrian and Lebanese coastal areas are not connected through Al-Qseir. Geographically this is not possible. Second, nobody would fight a battle in order to move towards separation. If you opt for separation, you move towards that objective without waging battles all over the country in order to be pushed into a particular corner. The nature of the battle does not indicate that we are heading for division, but rather the opposite, we are ensuring we remain a united country. Our forefathers rejected the idea of division when the French proposed this during their occupation of Syria because at the time they were very aware of its consequences. Is it possible or even fathomable that generations later, we their children, are less aware or mindful? Once again, the battle in Al-Qseir and all the bemoaning is related to Israel. The timing of the battle in Al-Qseir was synchronized with the Israeli airstrike. Their objective is to stifle the resistance. This is the same old campaign taking on a different form. Now what’s important is not al-Qseir as a town, but the borders; they want to stifle the resistance from land and from the sea. Here the question begs itself - some have said that the resistance should face the enemy and consequently remain in the south. This was said on May 7, 2008, when some of Israel’s agents in Lebanon tried to tamper with the communications system of the resistance; they claimed that the resistance turned its weapons inwards. They said the same thing about the Syrian Army; that the Syrian Army should fight on the borders with Israel. We have said very clearly that our Army will fight the enemy wherever it is. When the enemy is in the north, we move north; the same applies if the enemy comes from the east or the west. This is also the case for Hezbollah. So the question is why is Hezbollah deployed on the borders inside Lebanon or inside Syria? The answer is that our battle is a battle against the Israeli enemy and its proxies inside Syria or inside Lebanon. Al-Manar: Mr. President, if I might ask about Israel’s involvement in the Syrian crisis through the recent airstrike against Damascus. Israel immediately attached certain messages to this airstrike by saying it doesn’t want escalation or doesn’t intend to interfere in the Syrian crisis. The question is: what does Israel want and what type of interference? President Assad: This is exactly my point. Everything that is happening at the moment is aimed, first and foremost, at stifling the resistance. Israel’s support of the terrorists was for two purposes. The first is to stifle the resistance; the second is to strike the Syrian air defense systems. It is not interested in anything else. Al-Manar: Mr. President, since Israel’s objectives are clear, the Syrian state was criticized for its muted response. Everyone was expecting a Syrian response, and the Syrian government stated that it reserves the right to respond at the appropriate time and place. Why didn’t the response come immediately? And is it enough for a senior source to say that missiles have been directed at the Israeli enemy and that any attack will be retaliated immediately without resorting to Army command? President Assad: We have informed all the Arab and foreign parties - mostly foreign - that contacted us, that we will respond the next time. Of course, there has been more than one response. There have been several Israeli attempted violations to which there was immediate retaliation. But these short-term responses have no real value; they are only of a political nature. If we want to respond to Israel, the response will be of strategic significance. Al-Manar: How? By opening the Golan front, for instance? President Assad: This depends on public opinion, whether there is a consensus in support of the resistance or not. That’s the question. Al-Manar: How is the situation in Syria now? President Assad: In fact, there is clear popular pressure to open the Golan front to resistance. This enthusiasm is also on the Arab level; we have received many Arab delegations wanting to know how young people might be enrolled to come and fight Israel. Of course, resistance is not easy. It is not merely a question of opening the front geographically. It is a political, ideological, and social issue, with the net result being military action. Al-Manar: Mr. President, if we take into account the incident on the Golan Heights and Syria’s retaliation on the Israeli military vehicle that crossed the combat line, does this mean that the rules of engagement have changed? And if the rules of the game have changed, what is the new equation, so to speak? President Assad: Real change in the rules of engagement happens when there is a popular condition pushing for resistance. Any other change is short-term, unless we are heading towards war. Any response of any kind might only appear to be a change to the rules of engagement, but I don’t think it really is. The real change is when the people move towards resistance; this is the really dramatic change. Al-Manar: Don’t you think that this is a little late? After 40 years of quiet and a state of truce on the Golan Heights, now there is talk of a movement on that front, about new equations and about new rules of the game? President Assad: They always talk about Syria opening the front or closing the front. A state does not create resistance. Resistance can only be called so, when it is popular and spontaneous, it cannot be created. The state can either support or oppose the resistance, - or create obstacles, as is the case with some Arab countries. I believe that a state that opposes the will of its people for resistance is reckless. The issue is not that Syria has decided, after 40 years, to move in this direction. The public’s state of mind is that our National Army is carrying out its duties to protect and liberate our land. Had there not been an army, as was the situation in Lebanon when the army and the state were divided during the civil war, there would have been resistance a long time ago. Today, in the current circumstances, there are a number of factors pushing in that direction. First, there are repeated Israeli aggressions that constitute a major factor in creating this desire and required incentive. Second, the army’s engagement in battles in more than one place throughout Syria has created a sentiment on the part of many civilians that it is their duty to move in this direction in order to support the Armed Forces on the Golan. Al-Manar: Mr. President, Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would not hesitate to attack Syria if it detected that weapons are being conveyed to Hezbollah in Lebanon. If Israel carried out its threats, I want a direct answer from you: what would Syria do? President Assad: As I have said, we have informed the relevant states that we will respond in kind. Of course, it is difficult to specify the military means that would be used, that is for our military command to decide. We plan for different scenarios, depending on the circumstances and the timing of the strike that would determine which method or weapons. Al-Manar: Mr. President, after the airstrike that targeted Damascus, there was talk about the S300 missiles and that this missile system will tip the balance. Based on this argument, Netanyahu visited Moscow. My direct question is this: are these missiles on their way to Damascus? Is Syria now in possession of these missiles? President Assad: It is not our policy to talk publically about military issues in terms of what we possess or what we receive. As far as Russia is concerned, the contracts have nothing to do with the crisis. We have negotiated with them on different kinds of weapons for years, and Russia is committed to honoring these contracts. What I want to say is that neither Netanyahu’s visit nor the crisis and the conditions surrounding it have influenced arms imports. All of our agreements with Russia will be implemented, some have been implemented during the past period and, together with the Russians, we will continue to implement these contracts in the future. Al-Manar: Mr. President, we have talked about the steadfastness of the Syrian leadership and the Syrian state. We have discussed the progress being achieved on the battlefield, and strengthening the alliance between Syria and the resistance. These are all within the same front. From another perspective, there is diplomatic activity stirring waters that have been stagnant for two and a half years. Before we talk about this and about the Geneva conference and the red lines that Syria has drawn, there was a simple proposition or a simple solution suggested by the former head of the coalition, Muaz al-Khatib. He said that the president, together with 500 other dignitaries would be allowed to leave the country within 20 days, and the crisis would be over. Why don’t you meet this request and put an end to the crisis? President Assad: I have always talked about the basic principle: that the Syrian people alone have the right to decide whether the president should remain or leave. So, anybody speaking on this subject should state which part of the Syrian people they represent and who granted them the authority to speak on their behalf. As for this initiative, I haven’t actually read it, but I was very happy that they allowed me 20 days and 500 people! I don’t know who proposed the initiative; I don’t care much about names. Al-Manar: He actually said that you would be given 20 days, 500 people, and no guarantees. You’ll be allowed to leave but with no guarantee whatsoever on whether legal action would be taken against you or not. Mr. President, this brings us to the negotiations, I am referring to Geneva 2. The Syrian government and leadership have announced initial agreement to take part in this conference. If this conference is held, there will be a table with the Syrian flag on one side and the flag of the opposition groups on the other. How can you convince the Syrian people after two and a half years of crisis that you will sit face to face at the same negotiating table with these groups? President Assad: First of all, regarding the flag, it is meaningless without the people it represents. When we put a flag on a table or anywhere else, we talk about the people represented by that flag. This question can be put to those who raise flags they call Syrian but are different from the official Syrian flag. So, this flag has no value when it does not represent the people. Secondly, we will attend this conference as the official delegation and legitimate representatives of the Syrian people. But, whom do they represent? When the conference is over, we return to Syria, we return home to our people. But when the conference is over, whom do they return to - five-star hotels? Or to the foreign ministries of the states that they represent – which doesn’t include Syria of course - in order to submit their reports? Or do they return to the intelligence services of those countries? So, when we attend this conference, we should know very clearly the positions of some of those sitting at the table - and I say some because the conference format is not clear yet and as such we do not have details as to how the patriotic Syrian opposition will be considered or the other opposition parties in Syria. As for the opposition groups abroad and their flag, we know that we are attending the conference not to negotiate with them, but rather with the states that back them; it will appear as though we are negotiating with the slaves, but essentially we are negotiating with their masters. This is the truth, we shouldn’t deceive ourselves. Al-Manar: Are you, in the Syrian leadership, convinced that these negotiations will be held next month? President Assad: We expect them to happen, unless they are obstructed by other states. As far as we are concerned in Syria, we have announced a couple of days ago that we agree in principle to attend. Al-Manar: When you say in principle, it seems that you are considering other options. President Assad: In principle, we are in favour of the conference as a notion, but there are no details yet. For example, will there be conditions placed before the conference? If so, these conditions may be unacceptable and we would not attend. So the idea of the conference, of a meeting, in principle is a good one. We will have to wait and see. Al-Manar: Let’s talk, Mr. President, about the conditions put by the Syrian leadership. What are Syria’s conditions? President Assad: Simply put, our only condition is that anything agreed upon in any meeting inside or outside the country, including the conference, is subject to the approval of the Syrian people through a popular referendum. This is the only condition. Anything else doesn’t have any value. That is why we are comfortable with going to the conference. We have no complexes. Either side can propose anything, but nothing can be implemented without the approval of the Syrian people. And as long as we are the legitimate representatives of the people, we have nothing to fear. Al-Manar: Let’s be clear, Mr. President. There is a lot of ambiguity in Geneva 1 and Geneva 2 about the transitional period and the role of President Bashar al-Assad in that transitional period. Are you prepared to hand over all your authorities to this transitional government? And how do you understand this ambiguous term? President Assad: This is what I made clear in the initiative I proposed in January this year. They say they want a transitional government in which the president has no role. In Syria we have a presidential system, where the President is head of the republic and the Prime Minister heads the government. They want a government with broad authorities. The Syrian constitution gives the government full authorities. The president is the commander-in-chief of the Army and Armed Forces and the head of the Supreme Judicial Council. All the other institutions report directly to the government. Changing the authorities of the president is subject to changing the constitution; the president cannot just relinquish his authorities, he doesn\\\'t have the constitutional right. Changing the constitution requires a popular referendum. When they want to propose such issues, they might be discussed in the conference, and when we agree on something - if we agree, we return home and put it to a popular referendum and then move on. But for them to ask for the amendment of the constitution in advance, this cannot be done neither by the president nor by the government. Al-Manar: Frankly, Mr. President, all the international positions taken against you and all your political opponents said that they don’t want a role for al-Assad in Syria’s future. This is what the Saudi foreign minister Saud al-Faisal said and this is what the Turks and the Qataris said, and also the Syrian opposition. Will President Assad be nominated for the forthcoming presidential elections in 2014? President Assad: What I know is that Saud al-Faisal is a specialist in American affairs, I don’t know if he knows anything about Syrian affairs. If he wants to learn, that’s fine! As to the desires of others, I repeat what I have said earlier: the only desires relevant are those of the Syrian people. With regards to the nomination, some parties have said that it is preferable that the president shouldn’t be nominated for the 2014 elections. This issue will be determined closer to the time; it is still too early to discuss this. When the time comes, and I feel, through my meetings and interactions with the Syrian people, that there is a need and public desire for me to nominate myself, I will not hesitate. However, if I feel that the Syrian people do not want me to lead them, then naturally I will not put myself forward. They are wasting their time on such talk. Al-Manar: Mr. President, you mentioned the Saudi foreign minister Saud al-Faisal. This makes me ask about Syria’s relationship with Saudi Arabia, with Qatar, with Turkey, particularly if we take into account that their recent position in the Arab ministerial committee was relatively moderate. They did not directly and publically call for the ouster of President Assad. Do you feel any change or any support on the part of these countries for a political solution to the Syrian crisis? And is Syria prepared to deal once more with the Arab League, taking into account that the Syrian government asked for an apology from the Arab League? President Assad: Concerning the Arab states, we see brief changes in their rhetoric but not in their actions. The countries that support the terrorists have not changed; they are still supporting terrorism to the same extent. Turkey also has not made any positive steps. As for Qatar, their role is also the same, the role of the funder - the bank funding the terrorists and supporting them through Turkey. So, overall, no change. As for the Arab League, in Syria we have never pinned our hopes on the Arab League. Even in the past decades, we were barely able to dismantle the mines set for us in the different meetings, whether in the summits or in meetings of the foreign ministers. So in light of this and its recent actions, can we really expect it to play a role? We are open to everybody, we never close our doors. But we should also be realistic and face the truth that they are unable to offer anything, particularly since a significant number of the Arab states are not independent. They receive their orders from the outside. Some of them are sympathetic to us in their hearts, but they cannot act on their feelings because they are not in possession of their decisions. So, no, we do not pin any hopes on the Arab League. Al-Manar: Mr. President, this leads us to ask: if the Arab environment is as such, and taking into account the developments on the ground and the steadfastness, the Geneva conference and the negotiations, the basic question is: what if the political negotiations fail? What are the consequences of the failure of political negotiations? President Assad: This is quite possible, because there are states that are obstructing the meeting in principle, and they are going only to avoid embarrassment. They are opposed to any dialogue whether inside or outside Syria. Even the Russians, in several statements, have dampened expectations from this conference. But we should also be accurate in defining this dialogue, particularly in relation to what is happening on the ground. Most of the factions engaged in talking about what is happening in Syria have no influence on the ground; they don’t even have direct relationships with the terrorists. In some instances these terrorists are directly linked with the states that are backing them, in other cases, they are mere gangs paid to carry out terrorist activities. So, the failure of the conference will not significantly change the reality inside Syria, because these states will not stop supporting the terrorists - conference or no conference, and the gangs will not stop their subversive activities. So it has no impact on them. Al-Manar: Mr. President, the events in Syria are spilling over to neighboring countries. We see what’s happening in Iraq, the explosions in Al-Rihaniye in Turkey and also in Lebanon. In Ersal, Tripoli, Hezbollah taking part in the fighting in Al-Qseir. How does Syria approach the situation in Lebanon, and do you think the Lebanese policy of dissociation is still applied or accepted? President Assad: Let me pose some questions based on the reality in Syria and in Lebanon about the policy of dissociation in order not to be accused of making a value judgment on whether this policy is right or wrong. Let’s start with some simple questions: Has Lebanon been able to prevent Lebanese interference in Syria? Has it been able to prevent the smuggling of terrorists or weapons into Syria or providing a safe haven for them in Lebanon? It hasn’t; in fact, everyone knows that Lebanon has contributed negatively to the Syrian crisis. Most recently, has Lebanon been able to protect itself against the consequences of the Syrian crisis, most markedly in Tripoli and the missiles that have been falling over different areas of Beirut or its surroundings? It hasn’t. So what kind of dissociation are we talking about? For Lebanon to dissociate itself from the crisis is one thing, and for the government to dissociate itself is another. When the government dissociates itself from a certain issue that affects the interests of the Lebanese people, it is in fact dissociating itself from the Lebanese citizens. I’m not criticizing the Lebanese government - I’m talking about general principles. I don’t want it to be said that I’m criticizing this government. If the Syrian government were to dissociate itself from issues that are of concern to the Syrian people, it would also fail. So in response to your question with regards to Lebanon’s policy of dissociation, we don’t believe this is realistically possible. When my neighbor’s house is on fire, I cannot say that it’s none of my business because sooner or later the fire will spread to my house. Al-Manar: Mr. President, what would you say to the supporters of the axis of resistance? We are celebrating the anniversary of the victory of the resistance and the liberation of south Lebanon, in an atmosphere of promises of victory, which Mr. Hasan Nasrallah has talked about. You are saying with great confidence that you will emerge triumphant from this crisis. What would you say to all this audience? Are we about to reach the end of this dark tunnel? President Assad: I believe that the greatest victory achieved by the Arab resistance movements in the past years and decades is primarily an intellectual victory. This resistance wouldn’t have been able to succeed militarily if they hadn’t been able to succeed and stand fast against a campaign aimed at distorting concepts and principles in this region. Before the civil war in Lebanon, some people used to say that Lebanon’s strength lies in its weakness; this is similar to saying that a man’s intelligence lies in his stupidity, or that honor is maintained through corruption. This is an illogical contradiction. The victories of the resistance at different junctures proved that this concept is not true, and it showed that Lebanon’s weakness lies in its weakness and Lebanon’s strength lies in its strength. Lebanon’s strength is in its resistance and these resistance fighters you referred to. Today, more than ever before, we are in need of these ideas, of this mindset, of this steadfastness and of these actions carried out by the resistance fighters. The events in the Arab world during the past years have distorted concepts to the extent that some Arabs have forgotten that the real enemy is still Israel and have instead created internal, sectarian, regional or national enemies. Today we pin our hopes on these resistance fighters to remind the Arab people, through their achievements, that our enemy is still the same. As for my confidence in victory, if we weren’t so confident we wouldn’t have been able to stand fast or to continue this battle after two years of a global attack. This is not a tripartite attack like the one in 1956; it is in fact a global war waged against Syria and the resistance. We have absolute confidence in our victory, and I assure them that Syria will always remain, even more so than before, supportive of the resistance and resistance fighters everywhere in the Arab world. Al-Manar: In conclusion, it has been my great honor to conduct this interview with Your Excellency, President Bashar al-Assad of the Syrian Arab Republic. Thank you very much. President Assad: You are welcome. I would like to congratulate Al-Manar channel, the channel of resistance, on the anniversary of the liberation and to congratulate the Lebanese people and every resistance fighter in Lebanon. Al-Manar: Thank you.

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DAMASCUS, (SANA)-President Bashar al-Assad gave an interview to al-Manar TV broadcasted on Thursday, Following is the full text of the interview: Al-Manar: In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful. Assalamu Alaikum. Bloodshed in Syria continues unabated. This is the only constant over which there is little disagreement between those loyal to the Syrian state and those opposed to it. However, there is no common ground over the other constants and details two years into the current crisis. At the time, a great deal was said about the imminent fall of the regime. Deadlines were set and missed; and all those bets were lost. Today, we are here in the heart of Damascus, enjoying the hospitality of a president who has become a source of consternation to many of his opponents who are still unable to understand the equations that have played havoc with their calculations and prevented his ouster from the Syrian political scene. This unpleasant and unexpected outcome for his opponents upset their schemes and plots because they didn’t take into account one self-evident question: what happens if the regime doesn’t fall? What if President Assad doesn’t leave the Syrian scene? Of course, there are no clear answers; and the result is more destruction, killing and bloodshed. Today there is talk of a critical juncture for Syria. The Syrian Army has moved from defense to attack, achieving one success after another. On a parallel level, stagnant diplomatic waters have been shaken by discussions over a Geneva 2 conference becoming a recurrent theme in the statements of all parties. There are many questions which need answers: political settlement, resorting to the military option to decide the outcome, the Israeli enemy’s direct interference with the course of events in the current crisis, the new equations on the Golan Heights, the relationship with opponents and friends. What is the Syrian leadership’s plan for a way out of a complex and dangerous crisis whose ramifications have started to spill over into neighboring countries? It is our great pleasure tonight to put these questions to H. E. President Bashar al-Assad. Assalamu Alaikum, Mr. President. President Assad: Assalamu Alaikum. You are most welcome in Damascus. Al-Manar: Mr. President, we are in the heart of the People’s Palace, two and a half years into the Syrian crisis. At the time, the bet was that the president and his regime would be overthrown within weeks. How have you managed to foil the plots of your opponents and enemies? What is the secret behind this steadfastness? President Assad: There are a number of factors are involved. One is the Syrian factor, which thwarted their intentions; the other factor is related to those who masterminded these scenarios and ended up defeating themselves because they do not know Syria or understand in detail the situation. They started with the calls of revolution, but a real revolution requires tangible elements; you cannot create a revolution simply by paying money. When this approach failed, they shifted to using sectarian slogans in order to create a division within our society. Even though they were able to infiltrate certain pockets in Syrian society, pockets of ignorance and lack of awareness that exist in any society, they were not able to create this sectarian division. Had they succeeded, Syria would have been divided up from the beginning. They also fell into their own trap by trying to promote the notion that this was a struggle to maintain power rather than a struggle for national sovereignty. No one would fight and martyr themselves in order to secure power for anyone else. Al-Manar: In the battle for the homeland, it seems that the Syrian leadership, and after two and a half years, is making progress on the battlefield. And here if I might ask you, why have you chosen to move from defense to attack? And don’t you think that you have been late in taking the decision to go on the offensive, and consequently incurred heavy losses, if we take of Al-Qseir as an example. President Assad: It is not a question of defense or attack. Every battle has its own tactics. From the beginning, we did not deal with each situation from a military perspective alone. We also factored in the social and political aspects as well - many Syrians were misled in the beginning and there were many friendly countries that didn’t understand the domestic dynamics. Your actions will differ according to how much consensus there is over a particular issue. There is no doubt that as events have unfolded Syrians have been able to better understand the situation and what is really at stake. This has helped the Armed Forces to better carry out their duties and achieve results. So, what is happening now is not a shift in tactic from defense to attack, but rather a shift in the balance of power in favor of the Armed Forces. Al-Manar: How has this balance been tipped, Mr. President? Syria is being criticized for asking for the assistance of foreign fighters, and to be fully candid, it is said that Hezbollah fighters are extending assistance. In a previous interview, you said that there are 23 million Syrians; we do not need help from anyone else. What is Hezbollah doing in Syria? President Assad: The main reason for tipping the balance is the change in people’s opinion in areas that used to incubate armed groups, not necessarily due to lack of patriotism on their part, but because they were deceived. They were led to believe that there was a revolution against the failings of the state. This has changed; many individuals have left these terrorist groups and have returned to their normal lives. As to what is being said about Hezbollah and the participation of foreign fighters alongside the Syrian Army, this is a hugely important issue and has several factors. Each of these factors should be clearly understood. Hezbollah, the battle at Al-Qseir and the recent Israeli airstrike – these three factors cannot be looked at in isolation of the other, they are all a part of the same issue. Let’s be frank. In recent weeks, and particularly after Mr. Hasan Nasrallah’s speech, Arab and foreign media have said that Hezbollah fighters are fighting in Syria and defending the Syrian state, or to use their words “the regime.” Logically speaking, if Hezbollah or the resistance wanted to defend Syria by sending fighters, how many could they send - a few hundred, a thousand or two? We are talking about a battle in which hundreds of thousands of Syrian troops are involved against tens of thousands of terrorists, if not more because of the constant flow of fighters from neighboring and foreign countries that support those terrorists. So clearly, the number of fighters Hezbollah might contribute in order to defend the Syrian state in its battle, would be a drop in the ocean compared to the number of Syrian soldiers fighting the terrorists. When also taking into account the vast expanse of Syria, these numbers will neither protect a state nor ‘regime.’ This is from one perspective. From another, if they say they are defending the state, why now? Battles started after Ramadan in 2011 and escalated into 2012, the summer of 2012 to be precise. They started the battle to “liberate Damascus” and set a zero hour for the first time, the second time and a third time; the four generals were assassinated, a number of individuals fled Syria, and many people believed that was the time the state would collapse. It didn’t. Nevertheless, during all of these times, Hezbollah never intervened, so why would it intervene now? More importantly, why haven’t we seen Hezbollah fighting in Damascus and Aleppo? The more significant battles are in Damascus and in Aleppo, not in Al-Qseir. Al-Qseir is a small town in Homs, why haven’t we seen Hezbollah in the city of Homs? Clearly, all these assumptions are inaccurate. They say Al-Qseir is a strategic border town, but all the borders are strategic for the terrorists in order to smuggle in their fighters and weapons. So, all these propositions have nothing to do with Hezbollah. If we take into account the moans and groans of the Arab media, the statements made by Arab and foreign officials – even Ban Ki-moon expressed concern over Hezbollah in Al-Qseir – all of this is for the objective of suppressing and stifling the resistance. It has nothing to do with defending the Syrian state. The Syrian army has made significant achievements in Damascus, Aleppo, rural Damascus and many other areas; however, we haven’t heard the same moaning as we have heard in Al-Qseir. Al-Manar: But, Mr. President, the nature of the battle that you and Hezbollah are waging in Al-Qseir seems, to your critics, to take the shape of a safe corridor connecting the coastal region with Damascus. Consequently, if Syria were to be divided, or if geographical changes were to be enforced, this would pave the way for an Alawite state. So, what is the nature of this battle, and how is it connected with the conflict with Israel. President Assad: First, the Syrian and Lebanese coastal areas are not connected through Al-Qseir. Geographically this is not possible. Second, nobody would fight a battle in order to move towards separation. If you opt for separation, you move towards that objective without waging battles all over the country in order to be pushed into a particular corner. The nature of the battle does not indicate that we are heading for division, but rather the opposite, we are ensuring we remain a united country. Our forefathers rejected the idea of division when the French proposed this during their occupation of Syria because at the time they were very aware of its consequences. Is it possible or even fathomable that generations later, we their children, are less aware or mindful? Once again, the battle in Al-Qseir and all the bemoaning is related to Israel. The timing of the battle in Al-Qseir was synchronized with the Israeli airstrike. Their objective is to stifle the resistance. This is the same old campaign taking on a different form. Now what’s important is not al-Qseir as a town, but the borders; they want to stifle the resistance from land and from the sea. Here the question begs itself - some have said that the resistance should face the enemy and consequently remain in the south. This was said on May 7, 2008, when some of Israel’s agents in Lebanon tried to tamper with the communications system of the resistance; they claimed that the resistance turned its weapons inwards. They said the same thing about the Syrian Army; that the Syrian Army should fight on the borders with Israel. We have said very clearly that our Army will fight the enemy wherever it is. When the enemy is in the north, we move north; the same applies if the enemy comes from the east or the west. This is also the case for Hezbollah. So the question is why is Hezbollah deployed on the borders inside Lebanon or inside Syria? The answer is that our battle is a battle against the Israeli enemy and its proxies inside Syria or inside Lebanon. Al-Manar: Mr. President, if I might ask about Israel’s involvement in the Syrian crisis through the recent airstrike against Damascus. Israel immediately attached certain messages to this airstrike by saying it doesn’t want escalation or doesn’t intend to interfere in the Syrian crisis. The question is: what does Israel want and what type of interference? President Assad: This is exactly my point. Everything that is happening at the moment is aimed, first and foremost, at stifling the resistance. Israel’s support of the terrorists was for two purposes. The first is to stifle the resistance; the second is to strike the Syrian air defense systems. It is not interested in anything else. Al-Manar: Mr. President, since Israel’s objectives are clear, the Syrian state was criticized for its muted response. Everyone was expecting a Syrian response, and the Syrian government stated that it reserves the right to respond at the appropriate time and place. Why didn’t the response come immediately? And is it enough for a senior source to say that missiles have been directed at the Israeli enemy and that any attack will be retaliated immediately without resorting to Army command? President Assad: We have informed all the Arab and foreign parties - mostly foreign - that contacted us, that we will respond the next time. Of course, there has been more than one response. There have been several Israeli attempted violations to which there was immediate retaliation. But these short-term responses have no real value; they are only of a political nature. If we want to respond to Israel, the response will be of strategic significance. Al-Manar: How? By opening the Golan front, for instance? President Assad: This depends on public opinion, whether there is a consensus in support of the resistance or not. That’s the question. Al-Manar: How is the situation in Syria now? President Assad: In fact, there is clear popular pressure to open the Golan front to resistance. This enthusiasm is also on the Arab level; we have received many Arab delegations wanting to know how young people might be enrolled to come and fight Israel. Of course, resistance is not easy. It is not merely a question of opening the front geographically. It is a political, ideological, and social issue, with the net result being military action. Al-Manar: Mr. President, if we take into account the incident on the Golan Heights and Syria’s retaliation on the Israeli military vehicle that crossed the combat line, does this mean that the rules of engagement have changed? And if the rules of the game have changed, what is the new equation, so to speak? President Assad: Real change in the rules of engagement happens when there is a popular condition pushing for resistance. Any other change is short-term, unless we are heading towards war. Any response of any kind might only appear to be a change to the rules of engagement, but I don’t think it really is. The real change is when the people move towards resistance; this is the really dramatic change. Al-Manar: Don’t you think that this is a little late? After 40 years of quiet and a state of truce on the Golan Heights, now there is talk of a movement on that front, about new equations and about new rules of the game? President Assad: They always talk about Syria opening the front or closing the front. A state does not create resistance. Resistance can only be called so, when it is popular and spontaneous, it cannot be created. The state can either support or oppose the resistance, - or create obstacles, as is the case with some Arab countries. I believe that a state that opposes the will of its people for resistance is reckless. The issue is not that Syria has decided, after 40 years, to move in this direction. The public’s state of mind is that our National Army is carrying out its duties to protect and liberate our land. Had there not been an army, as was the situation in Lebanon when the army and the state were divided during the civil war, there would have been resistance a long time ago. Today, in the current circumstances, there are a number of factors pushing in that direction. First, there are repeated Israeli aggressions that constitute a major factor in creating this desire and required incentive. Second, the army’s engagement in battles in more than one place throughout Syria has created a sentiment on the part of many civilians that it is their duty to move in this direction in order to support the Armed Forces on the Golan. Al-Manar: Mr. President, Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would not hesitate to attack Syria if it detected that weapons are being conveyed to Hezbollah in Lebanon. If Israel carried out its threats, I want a direct answer from you: what would Syria do? President Assad: As I have said, we have informed the relevant states that we will respond in kind. Of course, it is difficult to specify the military means that would be used, that is for our military command to decide. We plan for different scenarios, depending on the circumstances and the timing of the strike that would determine which method or weapons. Al-Manar: Mr. President, after the airstrike that targeted Damascus, there was talk about the S300 missiles and that this missile system will tip the balance. Based on this argument, Netanyahu visited Moscow. My direct question is this: are these missiles on their way to Damascus? Is Syria now in possession of these missiles? President Assad: It is not our policy to talk publically about military issues in terms of what we possess or what we receive. As far as Russia is concerned, the contracts have nothing to do with the crisis. We have negotiated with them on different kinds of weapons for years, and Russia is committed to honoring these contracts. What I want to say is that neither Netanyahu’s visit nor the crisis and the conditions surrounding it have influenced arms imports. All of our agreements with Russia will be implemented, some have been implemented during the past period and, together with the Russians, we will continue to implement these contracts in the future. Al-Manar: Mr. President, we have talked about the steadfastness of the Syrian leadership and the Syrian state. We have discussed the progress being achieved on the battlefield, and strengthening the alliance between Syria and the resistance. These are all within the same front. From another perspective, there is diplomatic activity stirring waters that have been stagnant for two and a half years. Before we talk about this and about the Geneva conference and the red lines that Syria has drawn, there was a simple proposition or a simple solution suggested by the former head of the coalition, Muaz al-Khatib. He said that the president, together with 500 other dignitaries would be allowed to leave the country within 20 days, and the crisis would be over. Why don’t you meet this request and put an end to the crisis? President Assad: I have always talked about the basic principle: that the Syrian people alone have the right to decide whether the president should remain or leave. So, anybody speaking on this subject should state which part of the Syrian people they represent and who granted them the authority to speak on their behalf. As for this initiative, I haven’t actually read it, but I was very happy that they allowed me 20 days and 500 people! I don’t know who proposed the initiative; I don’t care much about names. Al-Manar: He actually said that you would be given 20 days, 500 people, and no guarantees. You’ll be allowed to leave but with no guarantee whatsoever on whether legal action would be taken against you or not. Mr. President, this brings us to the negotiations, I am referring to Geneva 2. The Syrian government and leadership have announced initial agreement to take part in this conference. If this conference is held, there will be a table with the Syrian flag on one side and the flag of the opposition groups on the other. How can you convince the Syrian people after two and a half years of crisis that you will sit face to face at the same negotiating table with these groups? President Assad: First of all, regarding the flag, it is meaningless without the people it represents. When we put a flag on a table or anywhere else, we talk about the people represented by that flag. This question can be put to those who raise flags they call Syrian but are different from the official Syrian flag. So, this flag has no value when it does not represent the people. Secondly, we will attend this conference as the official delegation and legitimate representatives of the Syrian people. But, whom do they represent? When the conference is over, we return to Syria, we return home to our people. But when the conference is over, whom do they return to - five-star hotels? Or to the foreign ministries of the states that they represent – which doesn’t include Syria of course - in order to submit their reports? Or do they return to the intelligence services of those countries? So, when we attend this conference, we should know very clearly the positions of some of those sitting at the table - and I say some because the conference format is not clear yet and as such we do not have details as to how the patriotic Syrian opposition will be considered or the other opposition parties in Syria. As for the opposition groups abroad and their flag, we know that we are attending the conference not to negotiate with them, but rather with the states that back them; it will appear as though we are negotiating with the slaves, but essentially we are negotiating with their masters. This is the truth, we shouldn’t deceive ourselves. Al-Manar: Are you, in the Syrian leadership, convinced that these negotiations will be held next month? President Assad: We expect them to happen, unless they are obstructed by other states. As far as we are concerned in Syria, we have announced a couple of days ago that we agree in principle to attend. Al-Manar: When you say in principle, it seems that you are considering other options. President Assad: In principle, we are in favour of the conference as a notion, but there are no details yet. For example, will there be conditions placed before the conference? If so, these conditions may be unacceptable and we would not attend. So the idea of the conference, of a meeting, in principle is a good one. We will have to wait and see. Al-Manar: Let’s talk, Mr. President, about the conditions put by the Syrian leadership. What are Syria’s conditions? President Assad: Simply put, our only condition is that anything agreed upon in any meeting inside or outside the country, including the conference, is subject to the approval of the Syrian people through a popular referendum. This is the only condition. Anything else doesn’t have any value. That is why we are comfortable with going to the conference. We have no complexes. Either side can propose anything, but nothing can be implemented without the approval of the Syrian people. And as long as we are the legitimate representatives of the people, we have nothing to fear. Al-Manar: Let’s be clear, Mr. President. There is a lot of ambiguity in Geneva 1 and Geneva 2 about the transitional period and the role of President Bashar al-Assad in that transitional period. Are you prepared to hand over all your authorities to this transitional government? And how do you understand this ambiguous term? President Assad: This is what I made clear in the initiative I proposed in January this year. They say they want a transitional government in which the president has no role. In Syria we have a presidential system, where the President is head of the republic and the Prime Minister heads the government. They want a government with broad authorities. The Syrian constitution gives the government full authorities. The president is the commander-in-chief of the Army and Armed Forces and the head of the Supreme Judicial Council. All the other institutions report directly to the government. Changing the authorities of the president is subject to changing the constitution; the president cannot just relinquish his authorities, he doesn\'t have the constitutional right. Changing the constitution requires a popular referendum. When they want to propose such issues, they might be discussed in the conference, and when we agree on something - if we agree, we return home and put it to a popular referendum and then move on. But for them to ask for the amendment of the constitution in advance, this cannot be done neither by the president nor by the government. Al-Manar: Frankly, Mr. President, all the international positions taken against you and all your political opponents said that they don’t want a role for al-Assad in Syria’s future. This is what the Saudi foreign minister Saud al-Faisal said and this is what the Turks and the Qataris said, and also the Syrian opposition. Will President Assad be nominated for the forthcoming presidential elections in 2014? President Assad: What I know is that Saud al-Faisal is a specialist in American affairs, I don’t know if he knows anything about Syrian affairs. If he wants to learn, that’s fine! As to the desires of others, I repeat what I have said earlier: the only desires relevant are those of the Syrian people. With regards to the nomination, some parties have said that it is preferable that the president shouldn’t be nominated for the 2014 elections. This issue will be determined closer to the time; it is still too early to discuss this. When the time comes, and I feel, through my meetings and interactions with the Syrian people, that there is a need and public desire for me to nominate myself, I will not hesitate. However, if I feel that the Syrian people do not want me to lead them, then naturally I will not put myself forward. They are wasting their time on such talk. Al-Manar: Mr. President, you mentioned the Saudi foreign minister Saud al-Faisal. This makes me ask about Syria’s relationship with Saudi Arabia, with Qatar, with Turkey, particularly if we take into account that their recent position in the Arab ministerial committee was relatively moderate. They did not directly and publically call for the ouster of President Assad. Do you feel any change or any support on the part of these countries for a political solution to the Syrian crisis? And is Syria prepared to deal once more with the Arab League, taking into account that the Syrian government asked for an apology from the Arab League? President Assad: Concerning the Arab states, we see brief changes in their rhetoric but not in their actions. The countries that support the terrorists have not changed; they are still supporting terrorism to the same extent. Turkey also has not made any positive steps. As for Qatar, their role is also the same, the role of the funder - the bank funding the terrorists and supporting them through Turkey. So, overall, no change. As for the Arab League, in Syria we have never pinned our hopes on the Arab League. Even in the past decades, we were barely able to dismantle the mines set for us in the different meetings, whether in the summits or in meetings of the foreign ministers. So in light of this and its recent actions, can we really expect it to play a role? We are open to everybody, we never close our doors. But we should also be realistic and face the truth that they are unable to offer anything, particularly since a significant number of the Arab states are not independent. They receive their orders from the outside. Some of them are sympathetic to us in their hearts, but they cannot act on their feelings because they are not in possession of their decisions. So, no, we do not pin any hopes on the Arab League. Al-Manar: Mr. President, this leads us to ask: if the Arab environment is as such, and taking into account the developments on the ground and the steadfastness, the Geneva conference and the negotiations, the basic question is: what if the political negotiations fail? What are the consequences of the failure of political negotiations? President Assad: This is quite possible, because there are states that are obstructing the meeting in principle, and they are going only to avoid embarrassment. They are opposed to any dialogue whether inside or outside Syria. Even the Russians, in several statements, have dampened expectations from this conference. But we should also be accurate in defining this dialogue, particularly in relation to what is happening on the ground. Most of the factions engaged in talking about what is happening in Syria have no influence on the ground; they don’t even have direct relationships with the terrorists. In some instances these terrorists are directly linked with the states that are backing them, in other cases, they are mere gangs paid to carry out terrorist activities. So, the failure of the conference will not significantly change the reality inside Syria, because these states will not stop supporting the terrorists - conference or no conference, and the gangs will not stop their subversive activities. So it has no impact on them. Al-Manar: Mr. President, the events in Syria are spilling over to neighboring countries. We see what’s happening in Iraq, the explosions in Al-Rihaniye in Turkey and also in Lebanon. In Ersal, Tripoli, Hezbollah taking part in the fighting in Al-Qseir. How does Syria approach the situation in Lebanon, and do you think the Lebanese policy of dissociation is still applied or accepted? President Assad: Let me pose some questions based on the reality in Syria and in Lebanon about the policy of dissociation in order not to be accused of making a value judgment on whether this policy is right or wrong. Let’s start with some simple questions: Has Lebanon been able to prevent Lebanese interference in Syria? Has it been able to prevent the smuggling of terrorists or weapons into Syria or providing a safe haven for them in Lebanon? It hasn’t; in fact, everyone knows that Lebanon has contributed negatively to the Syrian crisis. Most recently, has Lebanon been able to protect itself against the consequences of the Syrian crisis, most markedly in Tripoli and the missiles that have been falling over different areas of Beirut or its surroundings? It hasn’t. So what kind of dissociation are we talking about? For Lebanon to dissociate itself from the crisis is one thing, and for the government to dissociate itself is another. When the government dissociates itself from a certain issue that affects the interests of the Lebanese people, it is in fact dissociating itself from the Lebanese citizens. I’m not criticizing the Lebanese government - I’m talking about general principles. I don’t want it to be said that I’m criticizing this government. If the Syrian government were to dissociate itself from issues that are of concern to the Syrian people, it would also fail. So in response to your question with regards to Lebanon’s policy of dissociation, we don’t believe this is realistically possible. When my neighbor’s house is on fire, I cannot say that it’s none of my business because sooner or later the fire will spread to my house. Al-Manar: Mr. President, what would you say to the supporters of the axis of resistance? We are celebrating the anniversary of the victory of the resistance and the liberation of south Lebanon, in an atmosphere of promises of victory, which Mr. Hasan Nasrallah has talked about. You are saying with great confidence that you will emerge triumphant from this crisis. What would you say to all this audience? Are we about to reach the end of this dark tunnel? President Assad: I believe that the greatest victory achieved by the Arab resistance movements in the past years and decades is primarily an intellectual victory. This resistance wouldn’t have been able to succeed militarily if they hadn’t been able to succeed and stand fast against a campaign aimed at distorting concepts and principles in this region. Before the civil war in Lebanon, some people used to say that Lebanon’s strength lies in its weakness; this is similar to saying that a man’s intelligence lies in his stupidity, or that honor is maintained through corruption. This is an illogical contradiction. The victories of the resistance at different junctures proved that this concept is not true, and it showed that Lebanon’s weakness lies in its weakness and Lebanon’s strength lies in its strength. Lebanon’s strength is in its resistance and these resistance fighters you referred to. Today, more than ever before, we are in need of these ideas, of this mindset, of this steadfastness and of these actions carried out by the resistance fighters. The events in the Arab world during the past years have distorted concepts to the extent that some Arabs have forgotten that the real enemy is still Israel and have instead created internal, sectarian, regional or national enemies. Today we pin our hopes on these resistance fighters to remind the Arab people, through their achievements, that our enemy is still the same. As for my confidence in victory, if we weren’t so confident we wouldn’t have been able to stand fast or to continue this battle after two years of a global attack. This is not a tripartite attack like the one in 1956; it is in fact a global war waged against Syria and the resistance. We have absolute confidence in our victory, and I assure them that Syria will always remain, even more so than before, supportive of the resistance and resistance fighters everywhere in the Arab world. Al-Manar: In conclusion, it has been my great honor to conduct this interview with Your Excellency, President Bashar al-Assad of the Syrian Arab Republic. Thank you very much. President Assad: You are welcome. I would like to congratulate Al-Manar channel, the channel of resistance, on the anniversary of the liberation and to congratulate the Lebanese people and every resistance fighter in Lebanon. Al-Manar: Thank you.

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In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful And all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and Allah\\\\\\\'s greetings be upon Muhammad and his pure Household. Enthusiastic and respectful greetings and peace upon you, blessed ones, who said \\\\\\\"labbaik\\\\\\\" to the Quranic invitation and hastened to the gathering in God\\\\\\\'s House. The first statement is that you should be grateful for this great blessing and with cooperation on the personal, social, spiritual and international level, seek help in your efforts from the Most Merciful and Most Powerful in order to reach the goals of this unparalleled divine command. In my heart I join with you to plead in unison with you, from the Forgiving and Most Kind Lord, that as He blessed you with this hajj journey, He completes this blessing by permitting you the completion of the hajj and then- with His generous acceptance- returns you to your lands with full hands and complete salvation- insha\\\\\\\'Allah. On this valuable occasion, in addition to spiritual purification and restoration- which is the highest and most fundamental gain of this comprehensive and unique divine command- attention should be paid to the issues of the world of Islam as a central duty and ritual of the hajj participants- with a commanding and expansive view towards the priorities and most important issues related to the Islamic Ummah. Today in particular, unity among Muslims and untying the knots of separation among some parts of the Islamic Ummah is a priority and important matter. Hajj is the manifestation of unity and harmony and the focal point of brotherhood and mutual help. During hajj, all have to learn the lessons of focusing on commonalities and rejecting differences. The filthy hands of imperialist politics have, for some time now, placed division on the agenda in order to fulfill their sinister interests, and today with the blessing of Islamic Awakening, Muslim peoples have correctly recognized the enmity of the imperialist and Zionist front and they have taken a stance against them while the policies of division between Muslims have intensified. The scheming enemy is aiming to stoke the fire of a domestic war among the Muslims, to misdirect the motivation for resistance and jihad and to secure the Zionist regime and the servants of arrogance- who are the real enemies. Instigating terrorist-takfiri and similar groups in the countries of the region of West Asia is among these abhorrent policies. This is a warning to all of us to count the issue of unity among Muslims as the priority of our national and international duties. The other important issue is the issue of Palestine. With the passing of 65 years since the establishment of this murderous Zionist regime and the various ups and downs in this important and sensitive issue, and particularly with the bloody events of the past year, two realities have become clear for all. The first reality is that the Zionist regime and its criminal supporters recognize no limit or boundaries regarding viciousness, cruelty and trampling underfoot all human and ethical standards. Crimes, genocide, mass destruction, the killing of children, women and the shelter-less and any violation and oppression that they can commit, they not only make permissible for themselves, but more so, they take pride in. The tear-inducing scenes of the recent 50-Day War in Gaza are the latest example of the historical crimes which have been repeated numerous times in the last half century. The second reality is that this disaster and calamity has not led to the results that the leaders and supporters of that murderous regime wanted. Contrary to the idiotic dreams of power and stability for this regime that the filthy officials of the Zionist regime dream, day-by-day this regime has moved closer to implosion and annihilation. The 50-day resistance of besieged and shelterless people of Gaza in the face of the full capabilities of the Zionist regime, and the resulting incapability and retreat of that regime and its surrender to the conditions of the resistance- is a clear example of that regime\\\\\\\'s weakness, incapacity and hollowness. All of this means: the people of Palestine have to be more hopeful than ever before, the fighters of Jihad and Hamas have increase their efforts, purpose and work, the West Bank has to intensify the continual path of glory towards power and steadfastness, the Muslim peoples have to demand real and serious support of Palestine from their governments and Muslim governments have to take sincere steps in this path. The third priority and important matter is the wise view that activists who wish well for the world of Islam have to take, regarding the difference between pure \\\\\\\"Mohammadean Islam\\\\\\\" and \\\\\\\"American Islam\\\\\\\". They have to caution themselves and others from confusing these two with each another. Our magnanimous Imam (ra) was the first to point out the difference between these two and entered it into the political lexicon of the Islamic world. Pure Islam is the Islam of tolerance and spirituality, the Islam of piety and democracy, the Islam of being \\\\\\\"forceful against the unbelievers, merciful towards the believers\\\\\\\". American Islam is putting the clothes of Islam on servitude to foreigners and enmity with the Islamic Ummah, the Islam that stokes the fire of division among Muslims, instead of trust in divine promises, it trusts in the enemies of God, instead of fighting with the Zionists and arrogance it fights with its Muslim brothers, it unites with arrogant America against its own people or other peoples. It is not Islam, it is a dangerous and deadly hypocrisy which every sincere Muslim has to fight against. Viewing matters with insight and penetration makes these realities and important issues regarding the world of Islam clear for any truth seeker, and determines- without any doubt- the current duties and obligations. Hajj and its rituals are a valuable opportunity to gain this insight and our hope is that you blessed hajj participants can make complete use of this divine kindness. I entrust all of you to Almighty God and ask that He accepts your efforts.

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Arbaeen, a Pattern for Life Agha Ali Raza Panahiyan Friends, do you know what the philosophy of justice is? It is to prepare the environment for us to live together like human beings with affection. Like Arbaeen! The highest peak of a human being’s life is not human rights. It’s to live like human beings, like Arbaeen! In the world, there are many people who are untainted, loving, and ready to accept the truth. I plead you go and introduce your religion, which is based on affection, enjoyment, and loving the “Friends of God,” to the world. I beg you. They don’t know about our religion. There are many misunderstandings about it. They have made the Daesh (ISIS) to increase the worse misunderstandings. These misunderstandings have caused some of our wretched, westernized people to become infatuated with the west. See what it has done to the west itself?! They don’t know how much you enjoy this religion. Western people who have seen Arbaeen think this is a religious rite. People are forced to go there. These were devout people, who are going because they were told to. I told this to some French people on this path. They had come from France, and we talked using a translator. People were gathered from 20 nations in a Mawkib (resting place). I told them one thing and they lost their control. I told them, “Did you know if people don’t come here, they won’t go to Hell?” I explained this for them and they were surprised! They said, “Really?! Isn’t it a religious command?!” I replied, “No, it’s not a command, for which they’ll be punished if they don’t do it. They won’t go to Hell if they don’t feed others.” They asked, “So why do they do this?!” I said, “Due to their love!” They had reached the middle of the way and were blaming themselves why they hadn’t understood what was going on there! This is a religion based on “yearning for it.” It is based on love and enjoyment. One of the scholars in Najaf said, “There was a peddler. We went to his very small house. But, he served a lot of food! I told him, ‘You’re not that wealthy to give such food. What is your job?’ He wouldn’t answer and evaded the question. He was a peddler in the streets of Najaf. He said, ‘I put aside half of the money I earn every day for the Arbaeen of Imam Husayn (‘a).’” We want this life! Beyond law! Beyond justice! Beyond ethics! Sacrifice! Sacrifice! This is not a joke. You are inviting people to sacrifice. A system based on sacrifice! Not a system based on fairness. Those who say that Arbaeen can’t be a pattern for life to the extent of an entire civilization, are the ones who had mocked the prophets of God. “Woe to human beings! Whenever a Messenger came to them, they mocked him.” (Qur’an, 36:30) Why did they mock the prophets?! If you talk about ethics, no one will mock you! If you talk about justice, no one will mock you! If you talk about worshiping, no one will mock you! Do you know what the prophets said that people mocked them? They said, “Let’s live in an environment, like that which exists for the Arbaeen walk.” They mocked the prophets. One might say, “It’s impossible! In case anyone has an accident, we should have insurance. You say people come due to their love. What if they don’t come!” They mock this. If you give control of Arbaeen to the secular system, they will say, “To prevent quarrels when distributing food, we’ll hand out coupons. How many days will you be on the way?” “Four days.” “Three meals per day. Take your coupons and go. We’ve given that part to the private sector. We will charge tolls and distribute food there.” They’ll TOTALLY RUIN Arbaeen! I’ve heard one of the authorities, maybe mistakenly, has said, “We want to do something from next year to eliminate the Mawkibs on the borders and give them to the private sector.” Actually, we want to do something to the world for it to be managed like the Mawkibs. You’re doing the opposite. You haven’t understood Arbaeen at all. Why do you think people sense spirituality and luminosity there? Life based on affection. Any one of the government officials, who serves Arbaeen, should be respected. Anyone, who doesn’t do enough, has hatred towards the Household (‘a). But, if they do want to do anything, they can prepare people based commissions. A base and infrastructure of sacrifice, which is the truth of Arbaeen, should be prepared! I’ve seen physicians who were specialists on this way. He had come because of his love and worked constantly. He had even given money himself to build the place there. He had brought medicines himself too. The tribes from surrounding areas were bringing their sick people to be treated. These people said, “We keep our sick people and wait to bring them to be cured by the Arbaeen physicians!” This is our pattern! Friends, Arbaeen will take over the world. This is the government of the Imam of the Time (‘a.j.), which we believe will take over the world! We’ll change the world with a civilization that is based on this sacrifice and affection, which is in Arbaeen!

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God, why do You take it to Yourself? When we go to a doctor and he gives us a prescription for a very fatal disease, if we don’t do what he says, we won’t constantly apologize to the doctor. If we apologize to him once, he’ll say, “This doesn’t have anything to do with me.” He’ll certainly say this. He says, “You don’t need to apologize to me.” But, the Almighty God has brought Himself into the middle of human beings’ lives. I love you more than your mother does! God has created this world in an orderly manner. Look at the universe. In this world, which God has created orderly, He has given will, authority, and freedom to human beings. This human being makes mistakes and does misdeeds. It’s strange that God has called this sinning. “God, I have ruined myself, ‘I have harmed myself.’ (Qur’an 28:16) I have bothered myself. Why do You take it to Yourself?” A person has put his hand on a butcher block and cut his fingers with a cleaver. “We have harmed ourselves. When we harm ourselves, why do You somehow take it to Yourself?” Why did the Almighty God make the schedule that He gave us with commands, in such a way that any misdeeds we do in this schedule, are against God’s commands? God says, “If you make these mistakes, you have disobeyed me. When you harm yourself, I get upset with you. The things that are in your favour, I order you to do.” God talks with insistence and fervour. He keeps taking people to Heaven or Hell (in the Qur’an)! His talks are totally promotional. “God why do You do this?!” He replies, “Don’t you understand why I’m upset? I love you more than your mother!” “God, even if You don’t command me, I still have to do these. Why do You involve Your commands in this?” Isn’t this due to the severity of God’s fondness towards His servants? What other philosophy could it have? What is Holy War (Jihad)? Defend yourself against the enemy. What is ethics? You should have a good behaviour. It’s strange that if we don’t do these, God calls them sins. “You have sinned against My command!” “God, why do You get upset when I beat myself?” Doesn’t this show God’s severe fondness towards us? For example, God forbid, is God a mean king that has said something in general and if you don’t listen, He’ll get upset, rage and punish you severely! It is not like this at all. Why should God need this? It’s only due to the severity of His affection. It doesn’t have any other reason. A person has put his hand on a butcher block and cut his fingers with a cleaver. “Why do You call these sins?! God, why do You take it to Yourself?!” This is very strange. Doesn’t this show God’s severe affection towards us? I love you more than your mother does! [From the series of speeches under the topic of, “What is sinning? How should we repent?”] =================================== Follow us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Panahianen/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PanahianEN/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/PanahianEN Telegram: https://telegram.me/Panahianen/ =================================== Subscribe https://www.youtube.com/c/PanahianEnglish =================================== See our pages in various languages: https://panahian.net/ ===================================

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Our Book Corner Based on the book \"Why does God command me?\" by Ali Reza Panahian Watch for the upcoming clips from this series! The link for the book \"Why does God command me?\" written by Ali Reza Panahian: http://amazon.com/author/panahian ============================== Follow us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Panahianen/ ... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PanahianEN/... Twitter: https://twitter.com/PanahianEN Telegram: https://telegram.me/Panahianen/ #WhyDoesGodCommandMe

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In the second part of this series investigative historian Gareth Porter tells Pepe Escobar about the efforts by both the Special Operations Command SOCOM and the CIA clandestine operations not to depend on special approvals to launch Special Forces ops inside Pakistani territory in the hunt for Taliban and al Qaeda leaders.

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KARBALA-------VOICE OF HUMAN JUSTICE SPEECH OF HAZRAT IMAM HUSSAIN (A.S) (At Mina during Hajj of 58 Hijri) O Community of the powerful, you are the ones, who are blessed with knowledge, virtue and piety and your fear has been put into the hearts of people. Noble learns nobility from you and weak regards you respectable. Those who are equal in status to you, and you do not have any authority over them, also consider you above their position. You can help and support the people in matters where they become disappointed. You tread on the earth with the magnificence of the Kings and esteem of the sages. You have been bestowed with this respect and grandeur because you are expected to raise voice of truth in the way of Allah. So be prepared for the support of true religion although you ignore the reality and do not perform much of your rightful duties. You have belittled the rights of Al-e-Rasool and have completely placed the rights of the weak and the destitute into oblivion. You worry for the attainment of your rights alone. Neither you have spent money in the way of Allah nor have you endangered your life for Him. You have not even shown disdain to tyrants and usurpers of people's rights who indulge in vices publicly and yet you desire for heaven. You wish to stay there with Prophets and expect impunity from God's punishment. For the exclusive respect and status that you enjoy, I fear lest God should inflict punishment upon you as you are the people well aware of the pivotal position of social justice in human society. Although due to the grace of Almighty you are respectable among people but you have scant regard for those who fear God and are close to Him and his prophet. Don't you see that the blind, deaf and poor peasants have been reduced into waifs and strays and you are unmindful and unsympathetic? Your conduct is not befitting your authority nor do you value someone who responds to the call of duty towards the oppressed. Owing to your laxity, you cooperate with the tyrants and lead your life in an indifferent manner. Allah the Great has enjoined upon you to avoid wrongs and guide the people as well. But you are oblivious of this divine command. This is also very alarming that you have failed to extend due respect to the scholars. I wish you had made some efforts in that regard. Only those are entitled to run the affairs of the State who have complete knowledge of divine injunctions can differentiate between right (Halal) and wrong (Haram) and can provide justice to the community. The position you had in that regard have been taken back because you have forsaken the right path and created disputes in the Sunnah of the Prophet which led to mutual differences and one group made life miserable for the other. If you had shown forbearance upon miseries and borne the difficulties in the way of Allah with steadfastness and perseverance, then you could have been able to enforce justice in the society and transparency in the affairs of the state. But you have yourselves handed over the State of Allah to the oppressors so that they may add their analogies and dubious interpretations to the divine laws and use them as means for satisfying their avaricious intents. You are happy on this temporary life and want escape from death. This insensitivity of yours has left the Muslim Ummah at the mercy of these tyrants. You have empowered the tyrants upon weak and they have turned the majority into slaves with lots of people losing their life as well. Why one should not express surprise rather one should delve deep into this amazing ocean, that the earth is ruled by the fraudulent, atrocious and unjust tax extracting rulers, who persecute the righteous people. Lord of the Universe is witness to it that even in these circumstances we are struggling for the cause of the oppressed and He on the Day of Judgment would do the justice among us as promised. Continuing speech he said; "Oh Allah Almighty you know that I did not utter anything for the acquisition of power or wealth. Nor I meant to engage into vanity or self exaltation. We only want to direct people towards your 'Deen' and make your settlements worth living for inhabitants so that peace and tranquility prevail among depressed and helpless people and all your injunctions are implemented". After that he addressed to the people: "O' people" if you did not support us and despite being aware of our lineage did not do justice to our rights, then tyrant and cruel rulers would be imposed upon you for ever who would extinguish the candle of "Deen-e-Mobeen" lit up by the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). The movement of Karbala was for the restoration of Human rights and enforcement of social justice irrespective of caste, color and creed. Come forward and join this great movement of human history so that a ray of hope could be generated for the oppressed of this world.

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Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. And blessings of Allah and peace be on our Chief Muhammad, His Prophet, and on his children. O my Allah! (All) praise is for Thee for that which Thou decided upon and resolved in the matter of Thy friends, whom Thou purified for Thyself and Thy religion. When wisdom and high rank from Thee, prostrated themselves in adoration before them (from the Bountiful Preserving Lord), for whom neither there was any decreased, nor dispersion thereafter, then Thou stipulated for them piety and righteousness. While they were in this mean and crooked world, free from its pomp, vanity and false enjoyments, Thy overreaching authority made known their identity; and equipped them with sincerity and perfection stood surety for them and communicated intimately with them, sent the news of their auspicious arrival in advance, and praised them in clear terms for the benefit of one and all. Fell down on the ground in prostration Thy Angels before them, Thou chose them to reveal Thy Words, gave them Thy wisdom as a gift, set them up as the (only) medium to reach Thee, the only means to the eternal land of peace and happiness. One dwelled in Paradise until Thou sent him on (as the first Prophet). One was made to cruise the "Ark", and had been rescued, and kept safe from destruction through Thy mercy. One was chosen and prepared for Thy Mission, as (Thy) Friend, (who) made a request to Thee for a good report in (his) later generations, so Thou approved and complied with, exalted them and gave them authority. One was spoken directly through the Tree, his brother was appointed his successor and helper. One was brought in without a father, was given clear proofs, and was supported with the Holy Spirit. For each Thou prescribed a Divine law, and set up a traced out path, each was appointed a guardian-executor, (and each) fulfilled the duty after being kept safe and protected, in the term of establishing Thy religion, a witness and argument over Thy servants (mankind), Lest the truth staggered from its firm stand and foundation, and the falsehood conquered the hearts of the people, and might not say a single man: "If only Thou had sent a Messenger unto us as a Warner, to show us the path of wisdom and guidance, so that we might have followed Thy revelations before we were (thus) humbled and disgraced!" Then Thou made plans to bring out the wonderful advent of Muhammad, (Send blessing on him and on his children). So Thou just as chose him master of Whosoever Thou created, made him (whom Thou Selected), pure, clean and the best, exalted and praised him (whom Thou elected), surpassed in generosity and liberality while bestowing high-mindedness and beneficence upon him (whom Thou took in confidence and relied upon); made him leader-in-chief of (all) thy Prophets, and sent him to the troubled world of men and jinn, among Thy servants, lowered and humbled before him the Easts and the Wests, under his total control was brought all affairs, exalted his soul in Thy heavens gave over to him the knowledge of what took place and what will happen, concerning facts and operation of creation. Then invested him with awe and majesty, Jibraeel, Meekaaeel, and distinguished Angels stood around; him at his beck and call, gave Thy word to him that Thou would make his religion prevail over all religions, however much the idolaters may be averse. Thereafter acknowledged his atonement and provided good and perfection for his children, allotted for him and his children the first sanctuary appointed for mankind, at Becca (Mecca), a blessed place, a guidance to the people, wherein are plain and clear signs; the place where Ibraahim stood up to pray, and whosoever enters it is safe. Thou said: "Allah’s wish is but to remove uncleanness far from you, O "People of the House", and purify you with a thorough purification." Thereupon Thou settled conclusively fee (recompense) of Muhammad (Thy blessings be on him and on his children) love for them, in Thy Holy Book. So Thou said: "Say (O Muhammad): I ask of you no fee (recompense) therefore, save love of (my) Kinsfolk." And Thou said: "Whatever recompense (return) I have asked for you, (it) is only for yourselves." And Thou said: "I ask of you no reward for this, save that, whoso will, chooses a way unto his Lord." Therefore they are the (only) means to (approach) Thee, the (only) medium to get Thy favours. So Thou certainly did not let his hard work go waste, and gave authority to his successor, Ali ibne Abi Taalib, (Thy blessings be on them both, and on this children), a guide. At the time when he was made a warner and a guide for every people, said he (the Holy Prophet), their Guide, in a public meeting overflowing with people; "Of Whomsoever I am the Mawlaa (Lord, Master) Ali is his Mawlaa. O Allah! be a friend of him who is a friend of him, be an enemy of him who is an enemy of him, help that man who helps him, forsake that man who forsakes him" and said: "Of whosoever I am the Prophet Ali is his Chief." And said: "I and Ali are (one basic root of) a tree, and the rest of mankind are like diverse plants, he proclaims the position (relationship) of Haaroon to Moosaa." Therefore he told him: "I am to you as Moosaa was to Haaroon, but certainly there is no Prophet after me." His (Ali’s) life partner was his (Muhammad’s) daughter the chief of the women of the worlds. Lawful was for him (Ali), in "the mosque", that which was permitted to him (Muhammad), all doors were closed, except his door. He (Muhammad) gave his knowledge and wisdom into his (Ali’s) keeping. He said: "I am the city (center) of knowledge and Ali is its gate. Whoso desires to approach and dwell in the city of knowledge and wisdom should come through its door." Thereafter he said: "You are my brother, successor and inheritor, your flesh is my flesh, your blood is my blood, your truce is my truce, your fight is my fight, faith is blended, mixed and mingled (part and parcel) in your flesh and blood, just as it is compounded in my flesh and blood, you shall take charge of the reservoir of my inheritance, you are the fulfilment of my religion, you shall execute and keep alive my "way of life", your friends and followers shall speak with authority, command respect and hold the torch of good manners and refinements, their faces will be all around me in the eternal land of peace and bliss (Paradise), in my close company. Were it not you O Ali, the faithfuls would not know the truth after me." After him (Muhammad) be (Ali) was the guide for the wanderers, a bright light in the blind darkness, the strong rope of Allah, and the right path, did not ever hold back kindness and compassion from the common people, nor ever made excuses or delay to give priority to the matters of religion, nor blew his own trumpet nor felt proud of his glory, did the same thing the Messenger used to do, (Blessing of Allah be on them both and on their children) put an end to misinterpretation, did not lose temper, for the sake of Allah, if any one turned to mud-slinging and name-calling. He had thrown the proud tribal chiefs of Arabia into a fright, destroyed their heroes, attacked and dispersed their cavalries, because of which hatred and deep grudge took root in their hearts. Badr, Khaybar, and Hunain created jealousy and envy in them, therefore, united they joined hands to oppose him, and came out in great number to fight against him, till he destroyed all deserters, who had swerved from what was right, the shameless who deviated from true religion, while he was carrying out the important mission. Killed him a malicious criminal, a contemporary, serving the interest and following the doctrine of earlier impudent villians. An unparalleled and outlandish approach was applied to the directions of the Messenger of Allah, (Blessings of Allah be on him and on his children), concerning the "Guides" (Imaams), one after the other. The narrow-minded obstinate "ummah" did not care for and had ill-feelings towards him. Flocked together to pass up and deny his connection with his family, and pushed his children out of their way, but a handful of sincere faithfuls kept their promise and dutifully upheld the rights of his children; Some were slain, some were held prisoners, some were sent to distant foreign lands, and they met face to face (when came upon) their destiny (martyrdom). That which is given to each (of them) as reward of good deeds is the best recompense, since the earth belongs to Allah, and He gives it for an inheritance to whom He wants from among His servants, and the (good) end is for the God-fearing wise; glory to our Lord! Verily the promise of our Lord must be fulfilled; Allah does not break His word, He is Almighty, Wise. So be purified and refined by making known and remembering the choicest children of Muhammad and Ali, blessings of Allah be on them both, and on their children. The heartbroken, in tears, make their hearts bleed, together with them, the deeply moved perceptive men of letters describe their wisdom and liberality, as they themselves used to do, eyes of sensitive and thoughtful people are full of overflowing tears, their voices choked up with emotion; they cry out to protest against the injustice done, they call up dumb and insensate souls to stir and take notice. Where is Hasan? Where is Husayn? Where are the children of Husayn? The whole good, one and all! The truth altogether! Where is the regular unbroken vital connection? Where is the on going sequence of desirable goodness? Where are the clear source and spring of Light (vision and insight)? Where are the lively vivid handsome faces? Where are the distinctly visible pioneers? Where are the "know all the answers" scholars who communicated and made clear the religion of Allah? The fundamentals of knowledge and wisdom! Where is the ‘Everlasting legacy of God"? (never ever is the "family of Guides" without One). Where is the impenetrable defense who broke the back of the oppressive tyrants? Where is the "awaited saviour" who will set the have-nots and the depressed on their feet? Where is the "The Hope" who will put and end to tyranny and oppression? Where is the "preserved guaranty" who shall give new life to rule of law and refined way of life? Where is the "Chosen in preference good" who shall raise the spirits of the people and give currency to justice and fairplay? Where is the "hope-giving confidante" who shall make full use of the "Book" and define the sphere of action? Where is he who shall blot out dogma in the matter of religion and his (Muhammad’s) children? Where is he who shall break up meddlesome trouble and tampering? Where is he who shall pull down the foundations of confusion (polytheists) and hypocrisy? Where is he who shall stamp out corruption, vice, reaction and injustice? Where is he who shall trim the outgrowth of despair, longing and hardships? Where is he who shall erase the traces of unfairness and self-seeking conceit? Where is he who shall untie the twisted knotes of falsehood and disruption? Where is he who shall separate senselessness and insolence from the people? Where is he who shall tear up by the roots obstinacy, corruption and apostasy? Where is he who shall love dearly the favourites of Allah and take pains to tame and train the trangressors? Where is he who shall make people familiar with "words of wisdom"? Where is the ultimate (Divine) source of plenty and prosperity? Where is the "Divine aspect" the God-fearing may look up to? Where is the link that connects the cosmic complex? Where is the authority who shall communicate and make known the true point of view? Where is the author of the conception of peace, fairplay and welfare? Where is the defender of the traditions of the Prophets and their children? Where is the investigator of the blood of the Martyrs of Karbalaa? Where is he who shall get the upper hand over the perpetrators of crime and greed? Where is he who shall not rest until he answers the cries of help when called upon? Where is the foremost leader of the people – the just, the truthful and the wise? Where is the son of the chosen Prophet? The son of Ali Al-Murtaza! The son of Khadeejah, the resplendent! The son of Faatimah, the great! My father, my mother, and I turn to you for protection and sanctuary. O son of the favourite Leaders! O Son of the distinguished nobles! O son of the rightly guided Guides! O Son of the most refined high-minded liberals! O Son of the select generous Guardians! O son of the polite and pure purifiers! O Son of the impartial judges! O Son of the openhanded hosts! O Son of the mature teachers! O Son of the brilliant fulfillers! O Son of the clear and precise arguments who penetrated deep (into the domain of mind)! O inheritor of the made known prophesy! O inheritor of the clear preaching! O inheritor of the evident signs! O inheritor of the exact science! O inheritor of the widely sought after culture and customs! O inheritor of the milestones of glory and greatness! O inheritor of the extraordinary events! O inheritor of the reason that had been put to experiment! O inheritor of the Right Path! O inheritor of the Message that made deep impression on mankind! O Son of him who is in the "Mother of the Book" kept with Allah, the Highest High, the All-wise. O inheritor of the convincing proofs! O inheritor of the genuine evidence! O inheritor of the distinctly visible demonstration! O inheritor of the decisive information! O inheritor of the absolute joy and happiness! O inheritor of "T’aa-haa" and clear wisdom! O inheritor of "Yaa seen" and "Zaariyaat" O inheritor of "T’oor" and "A’adiyaat" O Son of him who "drew near and came down till he was two bows’ length or nearer." (The Highest High came near and received him gladly). If I but knew the destination of your purposeful journey! To which isolated land did you go? Good, pleasant and satisfying? Or otherwise? Or in well guarded concealment? It breaks my heart (when) I look at all that has been created, but cannot see you, nor hear a whisper about your whereabouts, nor any secret communication! It is disheartening to know that you are attending to and watching over the disorder and confusion, and I, in the thick of violent turmoil, am far away, unable to give report of injustice. I eagerly long for you who is out of sight, but has not forsaken us. I eagerly long for you who has departed and is invisible, but is not far from us. I eagerly long for you who inspires love and deep affection, and the faithful men and women take delight in your memorable glory. So we are excited with a longing desire. I eagerly long for you who is worthy of acceptance and lawful driving force of belief and conviction, never weary or annoyed. I eagerly long for you who is the root of praise and distinction, never can be uprooted. I eagerly long for you who is always tender, gentle and comforting, never makes one’s affairs worse instead of better. I eagerly long for you who is just and equitable beyond a trace of doubt, does not take severe action until misbehaviour trespasses the limit. O Master! How long and unto what is to be directed (my) request for friendly attention concerning you? And what is the message? It makes me sad to get favourable reply from anyone other than you, but to be duped and cheated in the end. It casts a gloom upon me that you suffered hardships and the chicken hearted deserters left you alone. It is painful for me what took place for you from them and that which had happened. Is there a helper with whom I may cooperate and take pains? Is there a restless with whom I may share when action is taken? Is there a faint twinkle of evidence to make me willingly take up the trouble? Do you O Son of Ahmed have means and ways to arrange our meeting? Can you once cleverly guide the course of time, so that we may obtain our wish? When shall we abridge the gap that separate us from the vision so that we may refer to the authority? How long shall we keep waiting for your pleasing satisfying essence and quality? Already the period of expectation has lasted too long! When shall we receive our share from you and have our minds set at rest? For we have fixed our eyes upon you and strive with perseverance. When shall we be happy, and see your beautiful form and fine aspect? Groups of cheerful willing disciplined helpers, in great numbers, gathering around you to carry out one work after the other! You fulfilling (every promise) and giving joy, heart and confidence (to the faithfuls); filling the earth with justice; making your enemies follow the law and accept the revolution; taking the wind out of the haughty and the boastful, and those who knew but denied the truth; breaking the back of the proud and the arrogant; uprooting the roots of the unjust; and we-singing the praise of Allah, the Lord of the worlds. O my Allah! Thou disperses the clouds of sorrows and hardships. Unto Thee we turn to ask for help against the enemy; for Thou (alone) helps and guides. Thou (alone) puts into good order affairs of this world and shall make better the Hereafter. So come to help! O He Who is called to help the helpless, Thy servants, surrounded by calamities. Show them the face of their Leader. O the Mightiest Almighty. Allow him to put an end to evil and corruption, and satisfy his Love (for the faithfuls) and dislike (for the sinners). O He Who, from the "Arsh directs and controls all creation, and unto Him is the return, final and ultimate. O my Allah! We are Thy servants, longing for Thy friend (appointed authority), who reminds us of Thee, and Thy Prophet, who was created as a refuge and asylum for us, established as a foundation and spring of truthfulness for us, and was made the Leader-Guide of the faithfuls. Convey to him our heartfelt congratulations and welcome. Make us feel more deeply for him. O Lord! Very Kindly, make his headquarters our place of domicile and dwelling abode, and fulfill Thy promise by returning him to us as our Leader Guide, so that he takes us to the eternal land of peace and bliss, where we shall rub elbows with Thy sincere servants who shed blood to pronounce the Faith. O Allah send Thy blessings on Muhammad and on the children of Muhammad. Bless his ancestor Muhammad, the Messenger, the foremost Leader, and bless his progenitor, the succeeding Leader, and his great grandmother, the ever truthful, Faatimah daughter of Muhammad, and his chosen virtuous forefathers, and send blessings on him, superior, whole, conclusive, staying, numerous, and full, not ever bestowed (even) on any of Thy sincerely attached and pious friends from among Thy creation. Bless him with blessings, (that) cannot be counted in numbers, cannot be "proximated" in space of time, cannot be consumed in terms of having nothing remaining. O my Allah! Set up truth, destroy falsehood, show the right path to Thy friends, humiliate Thy enemies, and do it without interruption, (through him). O my Allah! Unite us with him. Let us be friends with his ancestors. Give us courage to disperse those who oppose and try to prevent him, and make them stay in their shame and disgrace for ever. Help us to discharge the duties made incumbent upon us by him, and make every effort to obey him, keep from that which is declared unlawful by him, rely upon him to get his approval. Let us be with him when he makes peace, and frees mankind from fear, gives currency to love are kindness, brings bliss and happiness, spreads good and virtue, so that we may do our best to promote his cause through Thy mercy, and win victory for Thee. Accept our prayers, forgive our sins, fulfil our desires, give us means of livelihood, unrestricted, make less our hardships, meet our demands in full (through him). Turn towards us Thy kindness and loving aspects, and bring us close to Thee. Turn the eyes of Thy mercy upon us, to bring to fullness Thy kind favours, and after that do not ever let them disappear in the name of Thy generosity, and give us the opportunity to quench our thirst from the spring of his great grandfather (Kawsar), (blessing of Allah be on him and on his children), using his cup, filled by him, fresh and pure, sufficient, wholesome, clear and cool, not leaving any desire thereafter, O the Most Merciful.

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Blood and Oil Middle East in WWI P2 Enver Pasha takes personal command of the Ottoman Third Army (95,000 men) and sends it to attack Russian forces in the Caucasus. German military advisor, General Liman von Sanders, advises against a mountain offensive in winter. On December 29, 1914, the Ottoman advance is halted by about 100,000 Russian troops at Sarikamesh. Six days later, the Turks have lost 30,000 men and reel back toward the city of Erzurum. More soldiers desert or die of frostbite; more than half of the Third Army is lost. Except for the Dardanelles/Gallipoli campaigns, the extensive combat operations in the Middle East during World War I have been largely overlooked in documentary programs. Given the historical significance of the Ottoman Empire's demise in 1918, and the ongoing importance of Middle Eastern oil reserves to Western economies, a close study of this conflict provides two important lessons: 1. The Treaty of Versailles, agreed to by the Western Powers in 1919, paved the way for military and political chaos in the Middle East, which continues to this very day. 2. Oil reserves in the Middle East became an important strategic concern for Western Powers, helping to justify their economic, diplomatic and military interference in the region. After the end of World War I, most of the Ottoman Empire was carved up into "spheres of influence", controlled mostly by the British and French. The remaining territories became the modern state of Turkey in 1923 -- after a five-year struggle by Turkish nationalists against Western domination. With little regard for cultural, historical, religious and demographic considerations, the West sponsored the creation of several new nations: Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Thus, a "tinderbox" was built from Western greed, igniting a multitude of wars, revolts, coups and military occupations that truly have made the defeat of the Ottoman Empire little more than a hollow victory.

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Middle East in WWI Pt 7 Caucasus After the disaster at Sarikamesh, Russian troops arrive in force by February 1915 and begin an advance into eastern Turkey. In a series of battles, control over the region seesaws between the opposing forces. In September, Grand Duke Nicholas (uncle of Tsar Nicholas II) arrives to take command of the Caucasus front and plans a new offensive for the following year. In January 1916, the Russians advance again and capture the fortress city of Erzurum. By the end of August, Nicholas and his army have eastern Turkey firmly in their grasp. Except for the Dardanelles/Gallipoli campaigns, the extensive combat operations in the Middle East during World War I have been largely overlooked in documentary programs. Given the historical significance of the Ottoman Empire's demise in 1918, and the ongoing importance of Middle Eastern oil reserves to Western economies, a close study of this conflict provides two important lessons: 1. The Treaty of Versailles, agreed to by the Western Powers in 1919, paved the way for military and political chaos in the Middle East, which continues to this very day. 2. Oil reserves in the Middle East became an important strategic concern for Western Powers, helping to justify their economic, diplomatic and military interference in the region. After the end of World War I, most of the Ottoman Empire was carved up into "spheres of influence", controlled mostly by the British and French. The remaining territories became the modern state of Turkey in 1923 -- after a five-year struggle by Turkish nationalists against Western domination. With little regard for cultural, historical, religious and demographic considerations, the West sponsored the creation of several new nations: Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Thus, a "tinderbox" was built from Western greed, igniting a multitude of wars, revolts, coups and military occupations that truly have made the defeat of the Ottoman Empire little more than a hollow victory.

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Middle East in WWI Iraq Revisited. General Townshend's troops, besieged by the Turks at Kut, wait in vain for rescue in the spring of 1916. British forces under the command of General Aylmer try to break through the Turkish ring, but fail repeatedly. As Townshend's troops run out of food and ammunition, the situation becomes critical. On April 29th, about 13,000 British soldiers surrender to the Turks. The campaign to capture Baghdad has ended in disaster. Except for the Dardanelles/Gallipoli campaigns, the extensive combat operations in the Middle East during World War I have been largely overlooked in documentary programs. Given the historical significance of the Ottoman Empire's demise in 1918, and the ongoing importance of Middle Eastern oil reserves to Western economies, a close study of this conflict provides two important lessons: 1. The Treaty of Versailles, agreed to by the Western Powers in 1919, paved the way for military and political chaos in the Middle East, which continues to this very day. 2. Oil reserves in the Middle East became an important strategic concern for Western Powers, helping to justify their economic, diplomatic and military interference in the region. After the end of World War I, most of the Ottoman Empire was carved up into "spheres of influence", controlled mostly by the British and French. The remaining territories became the modern state of Turkey in 1923 -- after a five-year struggle by Turkish nationalists against Western domination. With little regard for cultural, historical, religious and demographic considerations, the West sponsored the creation of several new nations: Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Thus, a "tinderbox" was built from Western greed, igniting a multitude of wars, revolts, coups and military occupations that truly have made the defeat of the Ottoman Empire little more than a hollow victory

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Middle East in WWI Pt 11 Gaza Battles In March and April of 1917, the Turks win the first and second battles of Gaza, driving back the forces of General Archibald Murray. In June, the War Office in London removes Murray from command. In his place, General Edmund Allenby arrives with the succinct orders to "take Jerusalem by Christmas." October 31, 1917: in the Third Battle of Gaza, Allenby's army battles all day against the Turks at Beersheba, when a furious charge by the Australian Light Horse Regiment finally breaks the Turkish line. The British advance and capture Gaza soon after. Except for the Dardanelles/Gallipoli campaigns, the extensive combat operations in the Middle East during World War I have been largely overlooked in documentary programs. Given the historical significance of the Ottoman Empire's demise in 1918, and the ongoing importance of Middle Eastern oil reserves to Western economies, a close study of this conflict provides two important lessons: 1. The Treaty of Versailles, agreed to by the Western Powers in 1919, paved the way for military and political chaos in the Middle East, which continues to this very day. 2. Oil reserves in the Middle East became an important strategic concern for Western Powers, helping to justify their economic, diplomatic and military interference in the region. After the end of World War I, most of the Ottoman Empire was carved up into "spheres of influence", controlled mostly by the British and French. The remaining territories became the modern state of Turkey in 1923 -- after a five-year struggle by Turkish nationalists against Western domination. With little regard for cultural, historical, religious and demographic considerations, the West sponsored the creation of several new nations: Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Thus, a "tinderbox" was built from Western greed, igniting a multitude of wars, revolts, coups and military occupations that truly have made the defeat of the Ottoman Empire little more than a hollow victory.