Headlines 02/04/2016

Headlines

• Islam Not for Germany: AfD Party Calls for Ban on Mosques

• US and Russia Strike Deal for Assad to Exit the Country

• Pakistan Rejects US Calls for Curbing Tactical Nuke Weapons

Details

Islam Not for Germany: AfD Party Calls for Ban on Mosques

The “construction and operation” of mosques should be prevented since “Islam doesn’t ‘belong to Germany,” the populist Alternative for Germany group from Lower Bavaria has said in its draft manifesto, according to local media reports. A branch of the anti-migrant AfD party in Lower Bavaria has drawn up a new policy document that proposes the closure of all mosques already operating or being under construction in Germany, Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND) media group reported on Wednesday. The 45-page paper, titled “The Courage to take Responsibility,” explains the need for the ban by saying that Islam contradicts the constitution and “does not belong to Germany,” adding that there must be a reasonable limit to the freedom of religion. When Article 4 outlining this freedom came into force, no one thought that a religion would encourage crimes and quest for “world domination,” the document stated.

Mosques promote “not only common prayer, but also the spread of Islamic teachings directed towards the removal of our legal order," it also said. At the same time the controversial document stated that the Koran carries “lies and deception,” and Islam is already dominating 57 out 190 countries in the world. Petr Bystron, AfD leader in Bavaria, told the RND publishing group that didn’t support the manifesto, though said he was aware of the draft that was met with many counter proposals inside the party. The faction from Lower Bavaria bears “certain similarities” to the more right-wing members of the party, Bystron noted. The AfD party, founded in 2013 by economics professor Bernd Lucke, initially stood against the EU’s single currency, but for the EU membership. Last year, however, it saw a leader and ideology change with chemist and businesswoman Frauke Petry coming to power by winning public support with her anti-immigrant rhetoric. The AfD showed significant success at the recent elections securing enough votes to get into three state legislatures, including that in Sachsen-Anhalt where it became the second largest party after the ruling Christian Democratic Union of Germany. [Source: Russia Today]

AFD ignores Western domination of Muslim lands, but chooses to penalize Muslims living in Germany via the banning of Mosques. Such double standards are typical of not just the far right but the entire political establishment of the Western world.

US and Russia Strike Deal for Assad to Exit the Country

The US and Russia have reached an understanding that Syrian President Bashar Assad will leave to another country as part of the future peace process, according to the Lebanese Al-Hayat Newspaper. A diplomatic source on the Security Council told al-Hayat in reports published on Thursday that US Secretary of State John Kerry had "informed concerned Arab countries that the US and Russia have reached an agreement on the future of the political process in Syria, including the transfer of President Bashar al-Assad to another country". The source said the US-Russian agreement was "clear" in diplomatic back channels, though he said that, "the timing and context of that in the political process remains unclear to everyone at the moment". The report comes as the different sides in the five-year civil war continue to struggle over the future of the country's governance. Assad on Wednesday reiterated his call for a national unity government as the White House said his inclusion would make any such proposal a "non-starter".

As the two sides appeared deadlocked over the political transition, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon highlighted the impact of the five-year conflict by urging greater efforts to tackle the country's refugee crisis at a conference in Geneva. In an interview published on Wednesday, Assad told Russia's RIA Novosti state news agency it would be "logical for there to be independent forces, opposition forces and forces loyal to the government represented" in the new authorities. He pushed back against opposition demands that it should be put in place without his participation, insisting that the transitional body they are calling for is "illogical and unconstitutional". "Neither in the Syrian constitution nor in the constitution of any other country in the world is there anything that could be called a transitional body of power," Assad said. "It is the national unity government that will prepare a new constitution." However, the opposition quickly rejected any plan that would see Assad stay on.

If this report is true, it is another confirmation that both America and Russia are working together to protect Assad’s regime and put in a transitionary government that undermines the aspirations of the Syrian people.

Pakistan Rejects US Calls for Curbing Tactical Nuke Weapons

Pakistan’s top nuclear security advisor has rejected growing U.S. pressure and safety concerns about its production and deployment of battlefield nuclear weapons. “We are not apologetic about the development of the TNWs [tactical nuclear weapons] and they are here to stay,” said Khalid Ahmed Kidwai, an advisor to the so-called National Command Authority (NCA) and a longtime custodian of the country’s nuclear arsenal. The institutions responsible for planning storage and operational deployments do make sure that “it is so balanced on ground in time and space that it is ready to react at the point where it must react and at the same time it is not sucked into the battle too early and remains safe," Kidwai told a seminar at Islamabad’s Institute of Strategic Studies. He was apparently responding to last week’s testimony before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee by Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Rose Gottemoeller, where she praised the “excellent” steps Pakistan has undertaken to secure its nuclear arsenal, but said Washington is troubled by the development of battlefield nuclear weapons. She insisted that battlefield nuclear weapons, by their very nature, pose security threats because their security cannot be guaranteed when they are taken to the field. “So, we are really quite concerned about this and we have made our concerns known and we will continue to press them about what we consider to be the destabilizing aspects of their battlefield nuclear weapons program,” Gottemoeller said. Islamabad’s tactical nuclear weapons have been straining its traditionally rollercoaster ties with Washington since 2011, when Pakistan first tested and began producing its nuclear-capable "Nasr" ballistic missile, which has a range of 60 kilometers (36 miles).

Pakistani officials justify their development of tactical nuclear weapons by citing India’s so-called "Cold Start" doctrine, which they say is aimed at undertaking a quick, punitive, conventional military strike inside Pakistan. While Pakistan’s long-range ballistic missiles can hit anywhere in India, Kidwai insisted the tactical nuclear weapons have been developed to keep the neighboring country’s conventionally huge military from imposing a limited conflict on his country for achieving “political objectives.” “It compelled us to plug the gap that existed at the tactical level within the nuclear system,” the Pakistani advisor asserted. He reiterated Islamabad’s “full spectrum” nuclear weapons program is “India-specific” and described the neighboring country as “Pakistan’s only enemy.” He criticized decades of U.S.-led international moves to penalize Pakistan for developing the nuclear program while “ignoring” Indian advancements. [Source: Voice of America]

America is not surrendering its tactical nukes, but expects Pakistan to disarm its tactical arsenal, why? Additionally, America is bolstering its nuclear cooperation with India that goes against the NPT, while Pakistan is expected to get rid of its nuclear arsenal. Why?