In the first part of the paper, we will review the situation of the Christian groups in Middle Eastern countries before the Arab Spring. The second part will discuss the major changes caused by the Arab Spring amongst the Christian minorities. Finally, the possibilities implied by the emigration of Arab Christians will be outlined. 

Heading into April 2013, Israel is confronted with a complexity of issues in the greater Middle East. These include: chronic political disagreements at home; the Syrian conflict next door, with its possibility to affect Lebanon; volatile unrest in Egypt; the precarious condition of Cyprus and the effect of this on possible future joint energy projects; an intensified threat from Iran and Hezbollah, and strategizing how to handle Turkish diplomatic moves following the (US-brokered) rapprochement. These moves may include an emotive emphasis on the Palestinian issue, which would increase existing anti-Israeli prejudices in the larger Muslim world.

   First published by Balkanalysis.com

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the process of radicalization amongst British Muslims in the United Kingdom. It begins with a review of the Muslim population, demographics and community structure. Further presenting several internal and external indicators that influenced and led to radicalization of Muslim youth in Britain. The paper concludes that there is no one certainty for what causes radicalization amongst Muslims in United Kingdom. However, it is certain that Islamic radicalization and the emergence of a homegrown threat is a growing trend that jeopardizes the countries security, peace and stability. Radicalization in the United Kingdom is an existing concern that needs to be addressed and acted upon immediately. Misunderstanding or underestimating the threat may lead to further and long term consequences.

Israel and Turkey, not to mention the U.S., have strong interests in making a reconciliation work. But three years of mistrust will not evaporate overnight, especially bearing in mind the warm relations Turkey's leader Erdogan has with Hamas.

The late Venezuelan President Chavez was Iran's go-between for Latin America, and probably the most open apologist for Hezbollah in the region. The symbiotic relationship between Chavez and Ahmadinejad was also grounded on their visceral anti-Semitism.

The Bulgarian government had the political courage to declare officially that Hezbollah was involved in the July 18, 2012 terrorist bombing of Israeli tourists at Burgas airport.

Will the European Union finally reconsider designating Hezbollah as a terrorist organization as Israel, and the United States, have urged? 

There are two main issues that influence the European countries’ decision: the apprehension that Hezbollah could retaliate on their territory and the evaluation that its designation as a terrorist organization “could destabilize” Lebanon.

Ever since Hamas violently took over control of the Gaza in June 2007, several Salafi groups including Tawhid Al-Jihad have become more powerful and have been linked to global Jihad. The goal of such Jihadi groups is to wage an all-out war on anything modern or western and even non-Islamic Palestinians. In addition, they also attack any Muslim who does not conform to Sharia law such as Hamas. In his fight to make Gaza more Islamist, Tawhid Al-Jihad has recently (November 2012) joined forces with Jund Ansar Allah (another Al-Qaeda Salafist group), to create a Salafist council called the Majles Shoura Al-Mujahideen of Jerusalem or MSC, which can be described as an umbrella organization for Gazan Salafist-Jihadist groups with links to global Jihad. 

At least 117 persons were killed and over 206 injured in three separate bomb blasts in Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, on January 10, 2013. At 8.30 pm, a suicide bomber blew himself up inside a snooker club on Alamdar Road, which has two Shia prayer halls. Bomb disposal squad officers said an estimated six to seven kilograms of explosive was used by the suicide bomber. Within a 10-minute gap, as Police, rescuers and media persons rushed to the site, another bomb fixed to a vehicle parked nearby went off. An estimated 100 kilograms of explosives was used in the second blast. The twin blasts killed 105 persons and injured another 169.

For roughly a decade, Islamic terrorism has become one of the main threats to the security of Western societies. The recent attacks aimed at various Western countries have proven that the radicalization of Islamism is now closely tied to the issue of terrorism. This recent radicalization is a common feature in Western societies which find themselves challenged by homegrown as well as international terrorism. The challenge requires countries to find a way to implement efficient counter-terrorist measures. Therefore, it seems necessary to focus on the process of radicalization in order to identify its origins and possibly prevent this phenomenon.

The research of the presence and interest in Spain and our interests abroad by the Lebanese Party of God (henceforth, Hezbollah) compels us to consider two dimensions: this terrorist group’s little, quite unknown visibility on Spanish soil, ans well as this group’s interest in Spanish citizens and their interests beyond its borders, with a special attention on the diplomatic and military presence of Spain in Lebanon. It has also been necessary sometimes to incorporate in our analysis direct references to the Islamic Republic of Iran since this country and Hezbollah have very close ties.

First published by Friends of Israel Initiative