Examiner Staff

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 City Beat, Detroit, News

Bint Jebail Cultural Center vandalized amid Qazwini controversy

(DEARBORN, MI) — The Bint Jebail Cultural Center in Dearborn, Mich. was vandalized with graffiti recently, amid an ongoing controversy involving Imam Hassan Qazwini, who resigned from the Islamic Center of America in January.

“The Qazwini and Iraq Club,” the graffiti read in Arabic. Other statements attacking the center’s founder, Mohammed Turfe, were sprayed on doors and walls.

Qazwini has been hosting Ramadan prayer services at the Bint Jbeil Center, which prompted an anonymous letter attacking the center’s founder.

“We hold Mohammed Turfe fully responsible for the unprecedented act of hosting Qazwini, and we ask him to ban Qazwini from the center to save the community from controversy and divisions,” the letter said.

Qazwini is an Iraqi-American, while most board members are Lebanese-American. Qazwini says his opponents are targeting him because of his national origin.

In January, Qazwini was the target of anonymous letters that accused him of corruption and adultery, including diverting mosque money for his father’s projects in Iraq.

He strongly denied all allegations, except admitting that he sent some money to his father’s charitable orphanage in Iraq.

Qazwini, who was born in Iraq, says he was the victim of racism by Lebanese board members, who wanted to fund projects in Lebanon, according to the Detroit Free Press.

A group of volunteers have since cleaned off the graffiti. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Dearborn Police at 313-943-3012.

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 News

FPM protestors, Army soldiers injured during rally at Grand Serail

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — Hundreds of supporters of a Lebanese Christian politician protested in Beirut on Thursday against the Sunni prime minister they claim is marginalizing Christian influence.

Seven soldiers and several protesters were injured during a brawl between the Lebanese Army and Free Patriotic Movement supporters near the Grand Serail in Downtown Beirut.

Michel Aoun accuses Prime Minister Tammam Salam of taking decisions without cross-party consensus and usurping powers reserved for the president – a post set aside for a Christian but vacant since last year due to the wider political crisis.

Aoun’s critics, including other Christian leaders, say his motivation is personal. A presidential hopeful, he wants his son-in-law, Brigadier-General Shamel Roukoz, appointed as army chief when the job needs filling in September.

Aoun, 80, is an ally of Hezbollah, a powerful Lebanese Shi’ite group backed by Iran that is fighting alongside President Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Hezbollah has said it backs Aoun’s political position, but is not taking part in the rally.

WATCH: FPM protestors scuffle with Lebanese Army outside of the Grand Serail in Downtown Beirut.

Supporters of Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) waved its orange flag as groups on foot and in cars honking horns made their way towards the Grand Serail government headquarters in central Beirut, where Salam was holding a cabinet meeting.

The army had blocked roads using armored vehicles and metal barriers as the protesters chanted and took pictures on their smartphones. Soldiers watched in the shade.

“All parties should agree on laws,” said 21-year-old student Charbel Khoury. “They are taking everything from us. As Christians we should act, we should not stay at home. We are only a small number in the region.”

Political sources in parties allied to Aoun said his ministers would not resign, even as one of them threatened further escalation. “We will stay in the street until the government is toppled if it continues in this way,” Walid Khoury, an FPM lawmaker, was quoted by local media as saying.

Reuters

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 News

Lebanese-American cancer doctor Farid Fata faces victims as sentencing begins

(DETROIT, MI) — Lebanese-American cancer doctor Farid Fata was described as a “cowardly bastard” during his second day of sentencing on Tuesday, as he sat expressionless watching his former patients take the stand to describe their medical nightmares.

Fata has admitted to billing insurers for millions of dollars while misdiagnosing and over-treating cancer patients with chemotherapy and other methods when they didn’t need it.

“Farid Fata: I hate you. You are repulsive. You disgust me. You are a monster. You are evil,” said Laura Stedtfeld, who took the stand and accused him of murdering her father, Piero Zanotti, who died in 2014.

“Clearly you are a coward because you can’t even look at me right now,” she said. “You murdered my dad. You poisoned, tortured and murdered my dad.”

Fata pleaded guilty last September to 13 counts of health care fraud, two money laundering counts, and one count of conspiracy to pay or receive kickbacks. His attorneys have asked Judge Paul Borman to sentence him to no more than 25 years in prison.

But prosecutors are seeking a 175-year prison sentence, likening Fata to Ponzi scammer Bernie Madoff and accusing him of bullying patients into dangerous treatments to pay for an opulent lifestyle.

The government has also asked Borman to order the doctor to pay back $17.6 million paid by Medicare and Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan for fraudulent treatments.

Fata has not testified, but his lawyers have filed a sentencing memo that remains under seal.

According to the government, Fata had a patient load of 1,200 people and received $62 million from Medicare. He billed for more than $150 million.

Fata has lived in Michigan for 10 years and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2009.

A decision could come by Friday.

WATCH: Dr. Farid Fata falsely diagnosed Patricia Hester with cancer, giving her medication she never even needed.

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 Business, News

Federal prosecutors pursue Lebanese-American businessman for fraud

(LAS VEGAS, NV) — A Lebanese-American businessman could face more charges in a $190 million federal fraud case, as a federal grand jury recently issued additional subpoenas to testify against the high-rolling entrepreneur.

Ramon DeSage, 64, was charged with allegedly deceiving investors out of $190 million and defrauding the IRS out of $31 million. He is charged with 52 counts of conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion.

According to court documents obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the grand jury issued subpoenas for witnesses to testify and provide transactions involving DeSage and his luxury gift supply business.

His company, Cadeau Express, was allegedly used to defraud investors between 2005 and 2012. According to the indictment, DeSage pocketed the money in the scheme to repay earlier investors, maintain his wealthy lifestyle, and cover millions of dollars in gambling losses at casinos along the Strip.

Court documents recently unveiled the names of several suspected victims, including former casino executive William Richardson, who allegedly lost $40 million in investments with DeSage.

DeSage and two of his employees have pleaded not guilty to felony charges. His trial, which is now set to begin on Jan. 26, has been delayed 10 times.

DeSage, also known as Ramon Abi-Rached, is currently under electronically monitored home detention since his arrest three years ago, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Damm has said in court that DeSage owned a 40,000-square-foot palace in Lebanon and more than $10 million in real estate holdings.

According to DeSage’s website, he was born into a “prestigious family” in Lebanon, educated in France, and worked for UNESCO for some time.

His website also says he is a “philanthropist” with a “noble character” and a “true example to all of us.”

DeSage has not been active on his Twitter account since Jan. 22, 2014, where he described himself as being “proud” of his Lebanese heritage. He also mentions he is a “father of seven children.”

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 News

U.S. congressional leaders invite colleagues to join Lebanon caucus

(WASHINGTON, DC) — A coalition of U.S. congressional leaders are calling on Lebanese-Americans to ask their representative to join the Congressional Caucus on U.S.-Lebanon Relations.

The bipartisan caucus is led by representatives Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Gwen Graham (D-FL), who recently distributed an appeal letter to their colleagues, urging them to join the caucus.

“A stable Middle East is in the best interests of our nation, and our relationship with Lebanon is one of the most important in the Middle East,” they wrote. “The caucus on U.S.-Lebanon relations will serve as an informal, bipartisan group of members dedicated to maintaining and strengthening the U.S.- Lebanese relationship.”

Issa, a Lebanese-American, has been actively involved in Lebanese-American affairs as a member of the board of directors for the American Task Force for Lebanon (ATFL), a nonprofit organization that promotes “a free and democratic Lebanon.”

“Lebanon has been a close friend to the United States, and shares our interest in peaceful and cooperative relations throughout the world,” Issa and Graham wrote.

“We should do all that we can to strengthen our bilateral relationship with Lebanon and help the people of Lebanon to realize a future of peace, prosperity, and opportunity.”

The caucus is working in cooperation with ATFL, which recently unveiled what they believe are Lebanon’s three main challenges.

According to their website, the organization hopes to lobby for “support for the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and security services, broaden Lebanon’s capacity to cope with the enormous numbers of refugees from Syria, and protect vulnerable religious communities in the Middle East.”

The current list of caucus members include:

  • Darrell Issa (R-CA)
  • Gwen Graham (D-FL)
  • Charles Boustany (R-LA)
  • Betty McCollum (D-MN)
  • Richard Hanna (R-NY)
  • Debbie Dingell (D-MI)
  • Ralph Abraham (R-LA)
  • Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)
  • Trent Franks (R-AZ)
  • Steve Womack (R-AR)
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 Lifestyle

Beirut lands on list of ‘7 cities that will change your life’

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — A U.S.-based magazine has named Beirut, Lebanon among the “7 cities that will change your life” for its history, cuisine, and “haven of calm.”

Inc. magazine, founded in 1979 and based in New York City, is an American monthly publication focused on growing companies. The digital edition features fast-growing U.S. companies and tips for entrepreneurs.

The recent article published on July 2, was featured in the ‘Life’ section of the business magazine.

“Changing your scenery, if only for a short while, might be just the thing you need to trigger your personal growth and success,” wrote Peter Economy, the author of the article.

Economy encouraged Inc. readers to “abandon (their) preconceptions of the Middle East and find beauty where you’ve never looked before.”

In all of the Middle East’s turmoil, Beirut continues to stand as an untouched haven of calm. The Lebanese city has been called the “Paris of the Middle East,” a bastion of culture and light. Walk in the footsteps of the Romans and Ottomans, who once stalked the land. Chat with the street vendors on the Corniche’s four-kilometer-long seafront. Eat the food. Definitely eat the food.

Other cities on the list include:

  • Istanbul, Turkey
  • Hanoi, Vietnam
  • Cape Town, South Africa
  • Grindavík, Iceland
  • San Francisco, CA
  • Kyoto, Japan

In December 2014, Beirut was among seven cities selected as a “New7Wonders” city, beating out more than 1,000 competitors.

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 News

‘In Defense of Christians’ group calls for “direct aid” to Middle East minorities

(CLEVELAND, OH) — A coalition of Middle Eastern Christians are calling on U.S. congressional leaders to send “direct aid” to religious minorities in countries impacted by ISIS.

Officials at In Defense of Christians (IDC), a DC-based advocacy group, say religious minorities in the Middle East are not receiving enough aid from the U.S. government.

According to IDC, USAID partners have reached only 24 percent of displaced populations residing outside of refugee camps.

Toufic Baaklini, founder of IDC, said U.S. foreign policy directly impacts Middle Eastern Christians.

“An advocacy group is most needed in DC and on (Capitol) Hill,” Baaklini said. “The policy (in the Middle East) is not going to make any difference, but in the United States, much more can get done.”

Baaklini, a Lebanese-American activist, said the organization is launching local advocacy groups in U.S. states to gather grassroots support and encourage Middle Eastern Christians in the U.S. to contact their members of Congress.

Baaklini said Middle Eastern Christians should urge their representative to join the ‘Religious Minorities in the Middle East Caucus.”

“This is one our latest projects to have better access to foreign policymakers,” Baaklini said.

The caucus is an official congressional member organization in the U.S. House of Representatives, which seeks to advocate for “besieged religious minorities” in the Middle East.

Baaklini believes the U.S. government should put sanctions on countries who are allegedly funding groups like ISIS.

“We ask the government to put pressure on Arab countries — people that we call allies — and some who are funding such groups,” he said. “Put sanctions on those countries and stop them from attacking Christians.”

Baaklini said IDC has gained momentum since hosting a nationwide summit in Washington, DC last year. He said the organization is seeking support from Americans at large.

“Our advocacy is with the American people,” he said. “This is a Christian country even though we don’t talk about it this way.”

IDC officials recently spoke to members of Skyline Church in San Diego, an evangelical Christian mega-church with more than 2,500 in attendance per week. Baaklini said they’re seeking more of these opportunities.

He added that Lebanese Christians play a major role in the organization because of Lebanon’s pluralistic culture.

“The rest of the Christians in the Arab world look for the Christians in Lebanon on a lot of these issues,” Baaklini said. “We are an example to many of them.”

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 News

U.S. university revokes job offer to anti-Israeli professor; AUB hires him

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — The American University of Beirut has hired a professor whose anti-Israel Twitter posts led the University of Illinois to revoke a job offer last year.

Steven Salaita was offered a position as professor of American Indian Studies by the University of Illinois for fall 2014, but university officials rescinded the offer after citing a series of controversial tweets about Israel.

American University of Beirut spokeswoman Maha Al-Azar said Salaita was hired on Wednesday as the Edward Said Chair in American Studies.

Al-Azar added that Salaita was given a one-year appointment and will start Sept. 2.

Salaita, who is of Palestinian and Jordanian descent, said he was “thrilled” to accept the position. He said he learned that “Zionists get violently mad if a critic of Israel can earn a living.”

Meanwhile, Salaita continues his legal battle against the University of Illinois for allegedly hiding meeting minutes and email correspondence of university staff who were involved in withdrawing his employment offer.

He is suing the university for allegedly breaching contract and intentional emotional distress. He’s also claiming they violated his constitutional rights, including freedom of speech and due process.

A Illinois judge recently ordered the university to turn over thousands of pages of emails under the Freedom of Information Act.

In response to the university’s actions last year, a group of over 40 Jewish faculty and students at the university signed a letter to the board of trustees saying, “Your decision to fire Professor Salaita is in fact what threatens us as Jews.”

The faculty said they were “in solidarity” with Salaita and added that there was a “growing number of Jewish perspectives that oppose Israeli military occupation…and the assault on Palestine.”

The university did not return our calls for comment. Media reports say the controversy allegedly escalated when university donors protested Salaita’s hiring.

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 News

UN agency cuts food vouchers for Syrian refugees in Lebanon

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is being forced to implement deeper cuts in food assistance for vulnerable Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan because of a severe lack of funding.

“Just when we thought things couldn’t get worse, we are forced yet again to make yet more cuts,” said Muhannad Hadi, WFP Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia and Eastern Europe. “Refugees were already struggling to cope with what little we could provide.”

In July, WFP will halve the value of food vouchers, or “e-cards,” in Lebanon, providing only $13.50 per person per month.

In Jordan, WFP fears that if it does not receive immediate funding by August, it will have to suspend all assistance to Syrian refugees living outside camps, leaving some 440,000 people with no food.

WFP is funded entirely by contributions from governments, companies and private individuals.

But its regional refugee operation is currently 81 percent underfunded and immediately requires $139 million to continue helping desperate refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Turkey and Iraq through September.

Since the beginning of the year, WFP officials said they made concerted efforts to prioritize available funds to ensure continued assistance to families most in need. But limited resources forced WFP to reduce the assistance to 1.6 million Syrian refugees in the five countries.

“We are extremely concerned about the impact these cuts will have on refugees and the countries that host them,” Hadi added. “Families are taking extreme measures to cope such as pulling their children out of school, skipping meals and getting into debt to survive. The long-term effects of this could be devastating.”

In 2014, WFP globally received $5.38 billion in contributions – 27 percent higher than in 2013. This was in response to an unprecedented number of emergencies in places such as Syria, Iraq, South Sudan, and the West African countries affected by Ebola.

WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience.

Each year, WFP assists some 80 million people in around 75 countries.

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 News

Lebanese-Canadian man jailed in Cyprus for alleged ‘plot’ against Israelis

(LARNACA, CYPRUS) — Cyprus jailed an alleged member of Hezbollah for six years on Monday after he pleaded guilty to charges of stockpiling explosives to attack Jewish targets abroad.

Hussein Bassam Abdallah, 26, who has dual Canadian and Lebanese nationality, was arrested in late May after Cypriot authorities found 8.2 tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, a potential explosive, in the basement of a house in the coastal city of Larnaca.

Abdallah pleaded guilty to charges of possessing explosives, conspiracy to commit a crime, aiding and abetting a terrorist organization and participation in a terrorist group, the state Cyprus News Agency (CNA) reported.

Authorities believe that the ammonium nitrate had been stockpiled in Cyprus since around 2011 and held in the basement of a home in a residential neighborhood of Larnaca.

In a statement to police, Abdallah said the fertilizer would have been used to attack Jewish or Israeli interests in Cyprus, CNA reported.

Cyprus authorities have not speculated about the probable use or target, but the island is popular with Israeli tourists arriving by ferry and there is a synagogue in Larnaca.

Abdallah regularly traveled to Cyprus to check on the ammonium nitrate. His latest instructions before his arrest on May 27 were to find a warehouse to store it, and his handler gave him a forged British passport, state prosecutor Polina Eftyvoulou told Cyprus’s criminal court.

Fertilizer bombs remain the explosive of choice for many militant groups across the world and have been used in some of the most destructive attacks in recent years.

They were used in the 2002 Bali bombings which killed 202 and a year later in attacks on the HSBC bank headquarters and the British Consulate in Istanbul in which 32 people died.

“One kilo of this mixed with fuel can produce the equivalent of 0.82 kilos of TNT,” Eftyvoulou was quoted as saying.

Source: Reuters

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