JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1995, Pages 22-27

Issues in the News

Compiled by Greg Noakes

From the Israeli and U.S. Jewish Press:

Pope and PLO Open Relations:

The Vatican and the Palestine Liberation Organization have established formal ties, though these fall short of full diplomatic recognition, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Under the PLO-Vatican agreement, a Palestinian office will be opened at the Holy See, while the apostolic nuncio in Tunis will be responsible for the Vatican's contacts with PLO leaders. According to a joint Vatican-PLO statement, the relations are designed "to enable both parties to contribute jointly to the search for peace and justice which is proceeding in the Middle East." Official Israeli reaction was generally positive. Avi Granot, counselor for church affairs at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, told the JTA, "If anything, I can see the positive aspect of the Vatican having relations with everyone in the region and working toward the promotion of peace and friendship." The Vatican established diplomatic relations with Israel in December 1993.

Post-Boycott Boom Will Be a Bust:

Eliyahu Kanovsky, an economist at Israel's Bar-Ilan University, says an end to the Arab boycott against Israel would have a negligible impact on the state's economy because the Arab market for Israeli exports will be small. Kanovsky writes in the Detroit Jewish News that the $120 billion in "Arab imports accounted for a mere four percent of world imports" in 1992, according to International Monetary Fund statistics. "By way of comparison, tiny Holland, with a population of 15 million, imported $134 billion in 1992, more than the whole Arab world combined." Slumping oil prices and rising foreign debt among many Arab nations will also hamper expansion of Israel's exports within the region, according to Kanovsky. Stating that "the euphoria in Israel about the ending of the boycott may be misplaced," Kanovsky argues that Israel should not make political concessions to achieve the boycott's abolition, "whose benefits to Israel are marginal."

Palestine Film Flap:

Israeli Consul Aviva Raz sent a letter to Montreal World Film Festival Director Serge Loisque protesting the use of "Palestine" to designate the country of origin of "Curfew," a joint Palestinian-Dutch production shown at the festival. The film has won several prizes since its release, including a UNESCO prize at the Cannes Film Festival, which also listed Palestine as the country of origin. According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Raz wrote that Israel does not object to the showing of Palestinian films internationally, but argued that Palestine is not a sovereign nation and urged that another term be used. A spokeswoman for the festival said it was the responsibility of the film producers or directors to fill out an information form, including the film's country of origin, when applying for acceptance.

New York Opens Trade Office in Israel:

Outgoing New York Governor Mario Cuomo announced the State of New York will open a trade office in Jerusalem, according to the Queens [NY] Jewish Week. Israeli trade with New York currently averages $1 billion annually, and Cuomo said, "Our new trade office will help us strengthen and expand the economic ties between us, creating jobs in both New York and Israel." The office, to be headed by Israeli businessman Ofer Jakoby, grew out of the New York-Israel Economic Development Partnership program established by the state and the United Jewish Appeal-Federation.

Settlers Set Sights on East Bank:

The American wing of Kahane Chai and the Betar Zionist Youth Organization are planning to send delegations to Amman in the near future to discuss establishing Jewish settlements in Jordan. According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Kahane Chai's effort primarily is directed at discrediting the recent Israeli-Jordanian peace accord. "It's a big gimmick," Kahane Chai's Mike Guzofsky said. "We're saying there is no peace, and Jordan is not moderate. If such a tiny thing, like Jews wanting to buy a little land and settle there, causes an uproar, then it's proof this isn't much of a peace." Betar, the youth movement founded by the late rightist ideologue Vladimir Jabotinsky, is more earnest about the project. One Betar student organizer at the State University of New York in Albany said, "Jabotinsky's dream has always been [Jewish settlement on] both sides of the river. We feel that with this breakthrough in peace, we have the ability to do this." Another organizer in Cleveland announced, "We're setting up a delegation of people to travel to Jordan to buy land. We have people." A Jordanian government spokesman called the proposal "an irresponsible act which by no means serves Arab-Israeli peacemaking."

Gaza Gunrunners Grabbed:

Four Israelis have been arrested for allegedly stealing 20 assault rifles from an Israel Defense Force base and selling them to Palestinians from Gaza, according to the Itim news agency. Israeli officials believe one of the stolen assault weapons was used by the Hamas militants who kidnapped Israeli Corporal Nahshon Wachsman, who was later killed when Israeli commandos attempted a rescue operation last October.

Israeli Women Win With Affirmative Action:

Israel's High Court of Justice ruled that three men recently appointed as directors of government companies must be replaced with women under a 1993 law requiring "appropriate representation" for men and women on the boards of state-owned companies, meaning female directors must be hired "as far as is possible under the circumstances." Of 1,800 directors of government-controlled companies, only 35 were women when the law was passed. The legal ruling came after the Israel Women's Network submitted a petition to the court, arguing that government ministers had made no attempt to locate eligible women when filling the posts. "It's a breakthrough for women's rights in Israel," Rachel Benziman, one of the lawyers who argued the case for the Women's Network, told Israel Radio. In its precedent-setting ruling, the High Court declared, "The moral strength of a society that seeks equality can be tested by the extent of the effort it is ready to make to change the status quo and create a new reality of equality."

Not All Syrian Jews Leaving:

Although most of Syria's Jewish population has left the country since President Hafez Al-Assad lifted travel restrictions in April 1992, not all of Damascus' Jewish community is pulling up stakes. The Itim news agency says Avraham Hamra, the chief rabbi of Syria who left for the United States several months ago, recently moved to Israel along with 1,262 of the 3,670 Syrian Jews who emigrated to the U.S. Some 400 Jews remain in Syria, however, despite the loss of their rabbi. "Hamra left his community and its synagogues and schools without any care," according to Yousef Jajati, a Syrian Jewish businessman who decided to stay in Damascus. "That was a divine duty which should not be abandoned for any other purpose...I think Hamra decided to emigrate to Israel to flee the pressure he was facing from fellow Jews in the United States. He gave those people many promises of money and other incentives if they emigrated," Jajati told the Reuter news agency. Although all of the remaining 400 Syrian Jews have exit visas, Jajati says they are staying. "I have just returned from the morning prayers at the synagogue and I did not hear that anyone is planning to leave," he said.

Boycott Newsletter Discontinued:

As an indication of developments in the peace process, the American Jewish Congress (AJC) announced it is ceasing publication of its Boycott Report after 18 years. The newsletter, which covered the Arab boycott of Israel, will be replaced by a new bimonthly AJC publication tentatively titled Update: Radical Islamic Fundamentalism, according to the Detroit Jewish News. Boycott Report Editor Will Maslow will now edit Update, which "will monitor and report developments and trends involving radical Islamic fundamentalism throughout the world." AJC Executive Director Phil Baum said his organization did not object to Islamic religious groups, "but we regard the form of radical fundamentalism that seeks to achieve its end by terrorism or violence as menacing not only the countries in which these groups live, but peace in the world as well."

Saudis Soothe Jewish Group on Satellite:

Saudi officials told members of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) that material gathered from a commercial surveillance satellite will not be used for military purposes, but is designed for private use by a Saudi company. According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, the remarks came during a visit of AJC leaders to Riyadh as guests of King Fahd. The satellite, due to be launched in 1997 by a private American consortium called Eyeglass International, will provide photographs with a one-meter resolution to commercial buyers. Resolution of that quality was, until recently, considered sensitive military technology by the U.S. government, and when word leaked that a Saudi company was interested in joining the satellite consortium, 64 U.S. senators sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Ron Brown expressing concern for Israel's qualitative edge in intelligence. Saudi officials said they did not plan to use the satellite information, which might jeopardize ongoing exchanges of intelligence between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.

IDF Denies Anti-Settler Unit:

The Israel Defense Force denies a Ma'ariv report that it has organized a new unit designed "to fight against the settlers of Judea-Samaria, the Gaza Strip and the Golan if it is decided to evacuate settlements." According to the Israeli daily, members of the secret unit were asked about their political views, whether they had any relatives living in settlements or had family or friends who were "religious." Ma'ariv also said it possesses evidence that the unit has begun training in commando tactics, sniping and combat in built-up areas. An IDF spokesman called the report "absolutely unsubstantiated and untrue...The IDF does not check the political opinions of soldiers who enlist in the army and certainly does not categorize soldiers according to their legitimate political opinions." The unit allegedly was formed due to fears that ordinary Israeli military units might balk at executing orders to evacuate Jewish settlements in the occupied territories.

Eilat Tourism May Tumble:

Hoteliers in the Israeli Red Sea resort of Eilat are worried that they may lose substantial tourist revenue to hotels in the nearby Jordanian city of Aqaba or to Egyptian resorts in the southern Sinai, according to the Detroit Jewish News. One hotel spokesman said Eilat needed more hotels and shopping centers to lure visitors and offset higher prices than found in Aqaba or the Sinai. Employment costs, $1,200 per month in wages for an Eilat hotel employee as opposed to $70 or $100 for a Jordanian or Egyptian hotel worker, account for Eilat's higher prices, the spokesman said. Israeli Tourism Minister Uzi Baram also is pressing for more police to staff posts at Ben-Gurion and Uvda airports, where most Eilat-bound charters land. According to Baram, only a fourth of Uvda's dozen police posts are in operation, forcing arriving tourists to wait two or three hours to clear Israeli passport control.

Increased Demand for Diplomats:

Israeli Foreign Ministry officials say they will add 200 diplomats to the country's foreign service in order to meet projected demands for embassy staffs in the Arab and Muslim worlds, according to Israel Radio. Israel has established diplomatic ties with 56 countries since the 1991 Madrid peace conference, and now has relations with 147 nations. Danny Shek, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, said the 200 new recruits will receive training with an emphasis on economics and Arabic language. "This is what all our forefathers in the ministry worked for for 46 years," said Shek. "It's recognition and integration into the region and that brings about technical problems, one of which is personnel."

Soul-Searching After Soldiers Flee:

Film footage of an Oct. 30th Hezbollah surprise daylight attack on an Israeli position in south Lebanon, during which three Israeli soldiers ran away, was broadcast on Lebanese and Israeli television and set off a wave of recrimination and soul-searching among Israeli officials. According to the Queens Jewish Week, soldiers of the elite Givati brigade did not charge or pursue their Hezbollah attackers, and three members of the unit fled their posts. Two officers and five soldiers were eventually court-martialed over the affair. The Israel Defense Force called the incident "an isolated breakdown," and other observers noted that similar incidents have occurred in previous Israeli wars and military engagements. Critics from the Israeli right disagreed. "It all comes from a lack of discipline and failure to follow rules and regulations," according to Tsomet party leader and former IDF chief of staff Rafael Eitan. He added, "The thing that has the worst influence on the performance of commanders is the peace process." A former IDF chief psychologist, Moshe Even-Chen, said the Israeli army's static position in south Lebanon also contributes to such incidents by leaving units open to surprise attacks. Haifa University historian Yoav Gelber said the IDF had lost its spirit due to an overly critical Israeli government and public, charges against the army lodged by parents of soldiers who are wounded or killed while on duty and the experience of fighting a losing battle against the Palestinian intifada. "Soldiers learn the most important thing is to stay alive. They learn it's not bad to run away. The whole army ran away from Gaza," Gelber said.

Christian Zionists Join for United Jerusalem:

Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert told a meeting of the International Christian Embassy, an interdenominational pro-Israel organization, that public opinion would ultimately decide the fate of the Holy City. According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, the Likud's Olmert criticized the Labor government's policies, saying, "I know there will be a challenge [on Jerusalem's status], and it won't be easy. Even those commissioned by us to give us direction may not always have the strength of will and conviction to do what the Lord wants us to do." Olmert also called on the several thousand conference attendees, who came to Jerusalem from more than 90 countries, to "return in the millions" for the city's 3,000th anniversary in 1996 and "send a message to the world."

From the Middle East Press:

Mufti Appointments Reflect Rivalry:

Jordan and the Palestinian Authority, both of which claim the right to oversee the Muslim holy places in Jerusalem during the interim period laid out in the Oslo Accord, each appointed a successor to the late Mufti of Jerusalem Suleiman al-Ja'bari. The Jerusalem Times reports Sheikh Akrama Sabri, the imam of Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque, was appointed as mufti by Yasser Arafat, while Sheikh Abdul Qader Abdeen, chief judge of the Islamic shariahcourts in the West Bank, was tapped by the Jordanian prime minister's office. Jibril Rajoub, Palestinian police chief for the West Bank, charged, "The government of Jordan is blatantly interfering in our internal affairs...The Jordanian government is not the guardian of the Muslims of Palestine."

Tajikistan Tops Deadly List for Journalists:

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says the Central Asian republic of Tajikistan is "the most dangerous country in the world for journalists," according to the Saudi Gazette. At least 26 reporters have been killed in Tajikistan during the last 30 months, according to the CPJ's annual report, mostly by government forces and the armed opposition "in what appear to have been deliberate political assassinations directly related to their professions." The CPJ says "there has been no official investigation into these murders," and charged there is "strong evidence of official complicity" in the killings. Thousands have been killed and a million others displaced since fighting broke out in Tajikistan in 1992 after a pro-communist faction toppled a coalition government of Islamist and pro-democracy parties.

Jamaat Leader Predicts "Islamic Revolution":

Qazi Hussain Ahmed, head of Pakistan's Jamaat-i Islami party, says the country will witness an Islamic revolution in the next two or three years, according to the Saudi Gazette. "The rulers will be forced to flee the country," Ahmed said, leaving a "true Muslim and mujahid leadership" in control of Pakistan. Ahmed charged past leaders with ignoring the national constitution, which compels them "to make all laws in accordance with Qur'anic injunctions and to act within the ambit of the sunnah," or example of the Prophet Muhammad. Ahmed said Pakistan had been corrupted by "obscenity, vulgarity and pornography," and told those responsible for such ills to desist or face the wrath of the people. Blaming the U.S. for the state of affairs in Afghanistan and Kashmir, the Jamaat chief declared, "Had there been a true Muslim leadership in Islamabad,the Afghanistan issue would have been amicably resolved by now." Ahmed said his party was in touch with other Islamist movements in the world, and predicted the rise of an Islamist government in Algeria within a year. The Jamaat-i Islami is Pakistan's largest and most influential Islamist party, though it fared poorly at the polls in the 1993 parliamentary elections which brought Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto to power.

Sahara Poll Planned for Spring:

Moroccan Prime Minister Abdellatif Filali told the MAP news agency that the long-delayed United Nations referendum in the Western Sahara may take place as early as March, depending upon the pace of voter registration efforts. In addition, Filali said representatives from Morocco and the Polisario Front, which is demanding independence for the disputed region, must agree on the terms of the electoral campaign. Talks are slated to take place in New York, according to the Moroccan prime minister.

Iran Opens All-Female College:

Iran's first all-female college opened in Rud-e Hen, northeast of Tehran, as part of a campaign of sex-segregation. The psychology institute, a branch of the private Islamic Open University, is run by female staff and faculty and will admit only female students. Zahra Pishgahi-Fard, a college spokeswoman, told the Zan-e-Ruz magazine, "We have insisted on having all the professors wear the chador [traditional black cape and headcovering] as a model which should be followed by the students."

Marriages Across the "Green Line" Rising:

Palestinian men in the West Bank have been marrying Arab women within Israel at an increased rate over the last year, officials at West Bank religious courts told the Jerusalem Times. Sheikh Hamed Beitawi, a judge at the religious court of Tulkarm, said men who marry Israeli Arab women are able to acquire Israeli papers and citizenship allowing them to work inside the "Green Line" separating Israel and the West Bank. Since the imposition of an Israeli closure of the occupied territories in March 1993, some 130,000 young Palestinian males have been prohibited from entering Israel to work, leading to an increase in marriages between Palestinians and Israeli citizens for the purpose of easier access to the Israeli job market.

Indian Muslims Seek Reserved Status:

A number of Indian Muslim leaders have called on the Delhi government to allocate a percentage of jobs to the Muslim community proportionate to their population in India. The Saudi Gazette said the leaders asked the government to declare the community a Backward Class (and thus eligible for affirmative action) under Articles 14 and 16 of the Indian constitution, since Muslim students stand little chance of success in the open job market due to their poor academic performance and low mobility. Syed Hamid, former vice-chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University, said communal insecurity has contributed to the "ghettoization" of Muslims, and argued that reserved status would "boost the morale" of the community. Muslim leaders asked that the status be reviewed in 25 years, after which it would be continued only if the social, economic and educational levels of the community had not improved significantly. State governments in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh already have instituted reservations for Muslims.

"Democratic Royalty" Reform for Jordan:

Jordan's King Hussein announced a new system of succession to the throne which will end the tradition of automatic succession of the king's brother or son. During a broadcast on Jordanian television, Hussein said that the new system, which he termed "democratic royalty," will take effect after Crown Prince Hassan ascends to the throne. A family council will be created to select the "most capable" from among all male descendants of the Hashemite dynasty. Observers said the new system would greatly increase the pool of potential successors by including the king's cousins and nephews. Under the present Jordanian constitution, the heir must be a son or brother to the king, as well as a Muslim male "born by a legitimate wife and of Muslim parents." Of King Hussein's five sons, only 18-year-old Ali, son of the late Queen Alia, is an eligible successor, as the other four were born to women who were Christian at the time of childbirth.

Mauritania Cracks Down on Islamist Organizations:

Mauritanian authorities arrested some 60 Muslim leaders, including former Religious Affairs Minister Abu Bakr Ould Ahmed, three Egyptians, two Sudanese and a Saudi national for membership in "secret foreign organizations." Most of the detainees were placed under house arrest and charged with being "in contact with certain parties abroad" and using mosques "to make political announcements at prayer time," according to the Palestine Times. Observers speculated that Egyptian authorities tipped off their Mauritanian counterparts, and linked the moves to similar arrests in Oman last summer. Others said the crackdown was tied to the Nouakchott government's desire to open diplomatic ties with Israel at the level of liaison offices.

Dissident Dies in Iranian Prison:

Ali Akbar Saidi Sirjani, Iran's leading dissident writer, died in an Iranian prison after being held for eight months on narcotics and espionage charges. The IRNA news agency reports Sirjani died of a heart attack, but family members say the 63-year-old author had no history of heart problems and deny he was addicted to drugs. Sirjani's detention was a cause cÁlúbre in the West, in part because the writer fought a 1991 government ban on his books by appealing to Western journalists and academics. Sirjani wrote more than 15 books, many of which discussed the relationship between Islam and Iran's pre-Islamic heritage and the author's contention that pre-Islamic Persian culture has a tradition of respect for individual rights and opposition to tyranny.

Ex-Iranian General Questioned:

Azizollah Amir Rahimi, a former general who headed Iran's military police following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, was arrested by Iranian authorities after he called for the release of political prisoners. Rahimi also reportedly was questioned about his public statements supporting negotiations with the United States, criticizing the seizure of the American Embassy in Tehran at the start of the revolution and calling for a new government of national salvation. The Khaleej Timesreports Rahimi's remarks were recorded on cassettes and in signed manuscripts which were circulated on a limited basis. After an earlier round of questioning, Rahimi said he was told he should not express his views publicly. "But I disagreed and said, 'How else could things improve?'" Rahimi, who as a young major was jailed in the early 1960s for criticizing the shah, gained favor with the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini after the revolution, but retired from the army in 1982 at age 63 after protesting the suicide attacks carried out by the Revolutionary Guards during the initial stages of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.

Saudi Prince Snaps Up Four Seasons Stock:

Prince Al-Walid bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz has acquired 25 percent of the public stock in Four Seasons Hotels, Inc. for some $175 million in a bid to strengthen the company. The upscale hotel chain, which maintains 44 hotels in 19 countries, will manage a Riyadh hotel currently being developed by the prince, according to Saudi Commerce and Economic Review. Prince Al-Walid first garnered headlines in 1991 when he invested $800 million to become the largest stockholder of Citicorp. Since that time he has purchased significant shares of Saks Fifth Avenue and the Euro Disney theme park and resort outside Paris.

Sudan Slaps Ugandan Support for The South:

Sudanese Brigadier General Muhammad Bashir Suleiman said neighboring Uganda's support for the rebel Sudanese People's Liberation Army (SPLA) has increased, and charged Uganda with acting as the main conduit of arms supplies and training for SPLA officers and personnel. Suleiman told the daily Al-Inqadh Al-Watani that Sudan had withdrawn observers from the Ugandan border at the Kampala government's request, though it was Ugandan officials who initially asked for the observers to prove they were not supporting the SPLA. Ghazi Salah Eddin, Sudan's state minister for political affairs, said Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni's recent suggestion that the dispute in southern Sudan be sent to the United Nations Security Council implied a lack of impartiality that disqualifies Museveni from acting as a mediator in the conflict.

UNIFIL Protests Israeli Use of Banned Shells:

General Trond Furuhovde, commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), has asked U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali to protest to Tel Aviv over Israel's use of banned "aerial dart" shells in south Lebanon. According to the Saudi Gazette, the shells, which are fired by tanks and indiscriminately scatter four-inch darts over a wide area, are banned under the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949. Furuhovde said a position of the Irish contingent of UNIFIL near the village of Baraachit was hit by aerial dart shells, as was the south Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh. "No one was hurt in the Irish position but there were nails all over the place," Furuhovde protested.

Egyptians Arrest Organ Broker:

Egyptian police arrested Habib Gamal Al-Din, a 36-year-old Sudanese citizen, for arranging sales of human kidneys in Cairo, according to the MENA news agency. The broker forged letters from the Egyptian doctors' syndicate authorizing the transplantation of kidneys from "volunteer" donors to ailing recipients. Gamal Al-Din paid poverty-stricken Sudanese men and women for their kidneys, then resold them at a substantial profit. In one case, he paid $600 to a female Sudanese donor and charged the recipient $3,000 for the organ.

Ahmadiyya Followers Targetted:

Raja Ghalib Ahmad, spokesman for the Ahmadiyya community in Pakistan, charged the government in Islamabad with failing to protect members of the sect from a "tyranny of terror" imposed by Muslim fanatics. A 1974 Pakistani constitutional amendment declared Ahmadis, who revere Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908) as a "shadow prophet" or "manifesting prophet," to be non-Muslims, while a 1984 decree by Zia Ul Haq prohibited them from using Islamic terminology and forms of worship. The Minaret quotes Ahmad as saying that no action has been taken to investigate the murder of Quaid-i Azam University physicist Dr. Nasim Babur, the third Ahmadi academic killed in Pakistan since April. Babur was on the verge of a major breakthrough in the field of particle physics when he was killed outside his home in Islamabad, according to the Ahmadiyya spokesman. "Is it that [the fanatics] cannot deal with another Dr. Salam?" Ahmad asked, referring to Dr. Abdus Salam, an Ahmadi scientist based in Italy who is Pakistan's only Nobel laureate. "The Ahmadiyya community for the last 20 years has been subjected to perpetual violence, terrorism and persistent persecution by religious fanatics to create disunity, disharmony and dichotomy in the social fabric of Pakistan," Ahmad charged. He described the government's failure to protect Ahmadis as "a state of stupor, slumber and apathy."

Aden Now Winter Capital:

Yemeni officials declared the southern city of Aden the country's new winter capital and soon will move some government bodies from San'a, according to Yemeni radio. Observers say the move is intended to rehabilitate the city, which suffered heavy damage in the civil war last summer, and to defuse lingering north-south tensions in the country. Aden was the capital of the former People's Democratic republic of Yemen until it merged with the northern Yemen Arab Republic in 1990.

Ayatollah Lambasts Intervention by Mullahs:

Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, a member of Iran's Council of Guardians and a senior figure in the nation's religious establishment, told worshippers at Friday prayers in Tehran that he supported a ban on intervention by Muslim clerics in order to strengthen an anti-corruption drive. People who run afoul of the law "are always linked to a Muslim scholar, a cleric or a Friday prayer leader via two or three middlemen," Jannati said during a sermon broadcast on Tehran Radio. "When one of them gets into trouble he swings the middlemen into action and that influential figure heedlessly intervenes to free him." In a remark greeted with chants of "Allahu Akbar," or "God is Greatest," Jannati said, "A directive must be issued saying no one has the right to make recommendations outside the law, and no one has the right to act on such recommendations." Jannati criticized an economic reform plan launched by the government of President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani designed to end government assistance to public service institutions, saying the plan led to profiteering and transferred the economic burden onto the people. "Increasing revenue, even if it is spent for a good purpose, is not correct or legitimate if it creates public dissatisfaction," Jannati said.

Bahrain-Qatar Impasse:

Bahrain and Qatar failed to agree on a draft to submit their border dispute, which involves several barren but potentially oil-rich islands and reefs currently controlled by Bahrain, to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Talks in London broke down over Bahrain's inclusion of a claim to Zubarah, a city on the Qatari mainland. Bahrain also is seeking to adjudicate the status of coastal fishing and pearling areas, according to the Gulf News Agency. The ICJ ruled in July that the two Gulf states were obliged to submit their dispute for binding settlement. Bahrain and Qatar agreed to hold further talks on a joint submission, but gave neither a date nor a venue for future negotiations.

Turkish Bears Being Rehabilitated:

Turkish wildlife officials have taken 16 dancing bears to a temporary wildlife sanctuary near Bursa to teach them to live on their own again in the wild. The Anatolian News Agency reports the bears, recovered as part of a Turkish government effort to stem illegal trafficking in animals used for tourist entertainment, will be taught to forage for food and live in groups prior to their release to a semi-wild sanctuary in mountains south of Istanbul.

Saudi Sheikh Says Leaflets Designed to Divide:

Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Baz, Saudi Arabia's highest ranking religious figure and president of the Higher Council of Ulama (Islamic scholars), urged Muslims to ignore leaflets published by the London-based Committee for the Defense of Legitimate Rights (CDLR), saying they were designed to create "division among Muslims and between them and their leader," the Saudi Press Agency reports. "My advice to all is not to read these bulletins," Bin Baz said, adding, "Dividing the ranks of Muslims is absolutely evil." The sheikh urged lecturers to say only what benefits the nation and to close the door on sedition. The CDLR was created in 1993 and has repeatedly attacked the Saudi government and its policies. Saudi religious leaders outlawed the CDLR, saying that Islamic law was the best method of maintaining human rights in the Kingdom.

French Muslims to Field Presidential Candidate:

The Harki Federation of Southern France, which represents an estimated 250,000 ex-French soldiers of Algerian Muslim extraction and their families, announced it would field a candidate in next spring's French presidential elections. The Khaleej Times quotes a spokesman for the veterans' association as saying, "France's governments since the Algerian war have shown they were incapable of solving harki problems." Thousands of harkis, a term for Algerian Muslims serving in the French military, fled North Africa after Algerian independence in 1962, yet feel they have not been accepted by French society.

Hassan Calls for New Arab League:

King Hassan of Morocco, on a visit to Bahrain, told the daily Al-Ayyam, "We must think of a new Arab League and not be content with changing its charter, because the Arab League existed due to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Today, this conflict is wearing thin and has almost vanished." Encouraging Arab states to repair ties strained by the 1990-91 Gulf war, Hassan said, "Whether we like it or not, political necessity will make us think about the future of the Arabs either in or outside the Arab League," and encouraged the 50-year-old pan-Arab organization to adopt "a new program and new objectives."

PKK Forming Government-in-Exile:

The separatist Kurdish Workers' Party, or PKK, is preparing to form a government-in-exile and step up its campaign against Turkish authorities, according to a party leader. Abbas Tas told Cypriot television that Turkish forces had intensified their "repression of civilians" and were "perpetrating genocide against the Kurdish people." He said the PKK would launch a new military campaign in the coming winter months.

Sudan's Diplomatic Disorder:

The Sudanese Foreign Ministry will replace the country's ambassadors to the U.S., Italy, Germany and Nigeria as part of a reshuffle in diplomats. Akhbar al-Youm reports that some ambassadors asked to retire and others asked to be replaced for health reasons, adding that other ambassadors are likely to be replaced in the future. Egypt's Middle East News Agency says the moves reflect tensions between the Islamist authorities in Khartoum and the country's professional diplomatic corps.

Hijab Controversy in Copenhagen:

City officials in Copenhagen apologized to Radia Boujida, a 16-year-old Muslim trainee, who was turned away from working at a social center in the Danish capital because she wears a headscarf, or hijab. She had been told the scarf would be offensive to pensioners and social-benefits recipients, though Danish Interior Minister Birte Weiss later said, "Considering that many of the social services clients come from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, it is surely an advantage if some staff wear headscarves." According to the Khaleej Times, the incident has prompted debate about the place of Muslims in Danish society. "It's no use if Muslim immigrants stubbornly insist on holding on to their own culture and religion," said Bishop Kjeld Holm of Aarhus, Denmark's second-largest city. "A lot of normally patient Danes are losing patience with them," he added. The Boujida case also brought to light a similar situation in the Copenhagen suburb of Broendby, where a Sikh trainee was denied a staff position in the town's social services department because officials said clients were provoked by his turban.

Irrigation Methods Wasting Groundwater:

Saudi scientists say the Kingdom must improve irrigation techniques and groundwater management in order to maintain the quality of the water and conserve limited water resources. The Saudi Gazette reports that groundwater is the only source for irrigation in the Kingdom, which accounts for 85 percent of the nation's annual water consumption. Scientists at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and the King Saud University advocated tighter regulation of the use of existing wells, proper spacing of new wells, and greater water conservation efforts. Simply implementing proper irrigation scheduling techniques could save 35 percent of the water currently used for irrigation, the experts said.

Jordanian MPs Incensed by Sermon Ban:

Members of the Jordanian parliament are upset by a government decree banning them from delivering sermons at Friday prayers, Al-Rai reports. The ban is directed primarily at 16 parliamentarians from the Islamic Action Front (IAF) who are opposed to Jordan's peace treaty with Israel and have delivered scathing critiques of the pact during their sermons. Most of the IAF deputies are prayer leaders, and some have delivered sermons for four decades. "In preventing our deputies from preaching...the state deliberately opens fire on preachers, to prevent them from heading on God's path and allows Jews to achieve their cultural aims," an IAF statement said. The IAF added that the government "was committing a grave mistake if it thought its repressive measure would stem the growing scale of national opposition" to the treaty.

Egyptian Newspapers Battle Over Mahfouz Serial:

Egyptian newspapers are racing to print a serialized version of a controversial novel by Nobel Prize-winning writer Naguib Mahfouz. The quasi-official Al-Ahram announced it would serialize Mahfouz's Awlad Haritna (translated as Children of Gebelaawi) despite the fact that a 35-year-old ban imposed on the book by religious authorities, who claim the novel insults Islam, has yet to be lifted. After Al-Ahram's announcement, the leftist Al-Ahali beat its rival to the punch by publishing a first installment of the book, while Al-Missais advertising future excerpts as well.

Bhutto Warns Against Demonization:

Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, on a state visit to France, warned the West against making Islam its new global enemy, according to the Khaleej Times. "If you go to Muslim countries, you'll find many Muslims believe that, now that communism is over, Western countries are looking for a new bogeyman," Bhutto told reporters. "And for them, Islam is to replace what communism was." Bhutto said Europe had its extremist fringe as well, citing French National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen as an example. "Muslim countries do not want to be recognized by the shrill voices of a handful of extremists, just as we do not recognize Western countries by the shrill voices of a handful of extremists," Bhutto said. Her response to a reporter's question about the controversy over a French government ban on headscarves in public schools created a furor in Pakistan, however. Bhutto's remark that some young Muslims were simply searching for a cultural identity drew sharp criticism from Pakistan's opposition and Islamist parties, who argued that covering of a woman's hair was an obligation in Islam, not a mark of "cultural identity."

Islamic Banks Booming, But Need Regulation:

Adnan Al-Bahar, chairman of Kuwait's International Investor Islamic bank, says Islamic financial institutions could handle half of the savings in the Arab world by the turn of the century. Al-Bahar's remarks were made during a two-day conference on Islamic banking held in Dubai, according to the Khaleej Times. Al-Bahar said some 150 Islamic banks currently handle some $80 billion each year, with an annual increase of 15 percent due to rising demand for interest-free banking from Muslim investors. Islam forbids the payment or collection of riba, or usury, on financial transactions. Some conference speakers were more guarded about the state of the industry, however. Kuwait's Farah Fadil argued that Islamic banks should be regulated by the central banks of the countries where they operate, rather than being exempt from banking regulation because they do not pay a fixed interest rate on deposits. Fadil, an economic adviser, said decisions by U.S. and British comptrollers not to regulate the industry influenced other countries, and could contribute to global financial instability. "Central banks still need guidance and advice on Islamic finance either from the ministry of religious affairs or from a special shariah [Islamic law] committee," Fadil said.