French Muslims to Launch Foundation to Finance Mosques

In the wake of recent statements made by French Prime Minister Manuel Valls on inhibiting foreign funding of mosque construction in France, a new foundation will be created to help finance the mosques and keep out radical benefactors, the head of the French Muslim Council said Monday.

Anouar Kbibech proposed the foundation would be used to fund the construction and running of mosques and would be financed by fees paid by actors in the halal food sector.

France, home to Europe’s largest Muslim community, is a secular state that prohibits the use of state money for places of worship.

Valls said on Sunday that he wants to put an end to the financing from abroad for the construction of mosques.

“Almost all Muslims of France are attached to a serene, open, tolerant Islam and they are fully respecting the values and laws of the Republic,” Kbibech said on LCI television.

After meeting Kbebich, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said he wants the foundation to be launched in October.

The debate about the financing of mosques in France was revived by last week’s slaying of an elderly priest in a Normandy church by two Islamic extremists.

Some observers have suggested foreign influence over certain mosques and prayer rooms in France could encourage the radicalization of attendants.

Cazeneuve said 20 Muslim places of worship have been shut down in recent months due to radical views being exposed there.

French Muslims to Launch Foundation to Finance Mosques

Cross-Border Attack from Yemen Kills 4 Saudi Family Members

Saudi Arabia says four family members have been killed by a cross-border missile from Yemen that struck their home in the southern region of Jizan.

The attack comes one day after the Saudi-led military coalition said seven Saudi border guards, including an officer, were killed in a cross-border clash with militants from Yemen.

Saudi’s Civil Defense spokesman in Jizan, Yehia al-Qahtani, said in a statement that a woman and child were among those killed in the attack and that three others were wounded and taken to a hospital for treatment.

He said the missile struck the home around 1:30 a.m. on Monday.

The Saudi-led coalition backs Yemen’s internationally recognized government against Yemen’s Shi’ite Houthi insurgency and their allies who control large swaths of territory inside Yemen.

U.N. Yemen envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said the talks between the Houthis and their General People’s Congress party allies and the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi had been extended by a week.

“We hope that the delegations can utilize this remaining week to achieve progress on the path towards peace,” he said in a statement.

The slow-moving negotiations are aimed at ending a 16-month-old conflict that has killed more than 6,400 people, nearly half of them civilians, and displaced more than 2.5 million.

Cross-Border Attack from Yemen Kills 4 Saudi Family Members

Aramco to Reduce Oil Prices in September Contracts

Khobar- Oil refinery profits dropped in July to a record rate in three and a half years. Amid these harsh conditions in the global refining industry, forecasts showed that Aramco will be compelled to offer discounts to encourage clients to load more shipments.

Saudi Aramco has lowered the pricing terms for Arab Light sold to Asia by USD1.30 per barrel in September, before issuing an official oil prices’ statement for September. Specialized agencies often conduct surveys to get a feedback about Aramco from analysts, oil owners and traders, who are also Aramco clients.

Bloomberg is one of these agencies; it revealed in a survey released on 29 July forecasts that Aramco drop in September will be fruitful and might reach USD1 per barrel for the Arab light. Previous survey released in June revealed that Aramco is expected to drop prices of August by 25 cents; however, Aramco was more generous.

Saudi official oil prices were expected to witness a decline in August to remain competitive in a season that usually has poor demand in Asia, especially that several oil refineries will be stopped for maintenance in the third quarter of 2016.

In June, Saudi Arabia pumped and shipped more oil after completion of Shaybah oil field expansion; a step that put pressure on competitive producers.

Optimism prevails in the oil market with regards to demand and supply balance and the enhancement of prices in the second half of 2016. Despite international organizations’ optimism, oil prices’ recovery remains uncertain in the second half of 2016.

Aramco to Reduce Oil Prices in September Contracts

Pope: Islam Is not Terrorism

Pope Francis said on Sunday that labeling Islam as “terrorist” is completely unfair and untrue.

“It’s not true and it’s not correct (to say) Islam is terrorism,” he told journalists aboard the papal plane during the return journey from a trip to Poland.

“I don’t think it is right to equate Islam with violence”.

Reporters aboard the papal plane flying him home after a pilgrimage to Poland that began the day after extremists slit the throat of an elderly priest celebrating Mass in a French church, asked him why he never uses the world “Islam” to describe terrorism or other violence.

While in Poland, Francis made an unscheduled stop at a church in Krakow to implore God to protect people from the “devastating wave” of terrorism in many part of the world.

He added: “I believe that in every religion there is always a little fundamentalist group.”

Francis said religion was not the driving force behind the violence.

“You can kill with the tongue as well as the knife,” he said, in an apparent reference to a rise in populist parties fuelling racism and xenophobia.

He warned Europe was pushing its young into the hands of extremists, saying “terrorism… grows where the God of money is put first” and “where there are no other options”.

“I don’t like to talk of Islamic violence because every day, when I go through the newspapers, I see violence, this man who kills his girlfriend, another who kills his mother-in-law,” Francis said, in apparent reference to crime news in the predominantly Catholic country of Italy. “And these are baptized Catholics. If I speak of Islamic violence, then I have to speak of Catholic violence.”

Noting he has spoken with imams, he concluded: “I know how they think, they are looking for peace.”

As for the ISIS terrorist group, he said it “presents itself with a violent identity card, but that’s not Islam.”

Pope: Islam Is not Terrorism

The Three Most Important Questions to Ask in Finalizing the College Decision

It’s that time of year, when high-school seniors receive their admissions decisions from colleges along with their financial-aid packages and are left to figure out where to go next fall (if they haven’t done so already). For many students and their families, it’s a time of high anxiety in making what is probably the most significant decision of their lives.

What’s perhaps most surprising is that for many students their first visit to the college they’re considering might happen in the coming weeks. About a quarter of campus visits by prospective students occur in April, according to an analysis by VisitDays, a company that helps colleges schedule student visits. Of those students who visit in April, about half of them are stepping foot on campus for the first time after submitting their application.

To make the most of those campus visits, there are three key questions students and their families should be asking as they narrow down the list of colleges to their final choice:

1. Does the college or university care about undergraduate education and offer a breadth of academic programs?

Yes, that’s two questions embedded in one, but they are closely related.

Most major universities are hybrid institutions that perform research and educate undergraduates. At too many institutions, the undergraduate part of the equation is an afterthought, particularly for first-year students who are usually taught by graduate students or part-time professors. So as you look at colleges, remember that you are choosing the place where you want to earn your bachelor’s degree, not necessarily your master’s or Ph.D.

In addition, most 18-year-olds have no idea what they want to do with their lives. By the end of their first year, a quarter of all freshmen change their mind about their field of study. Another half of first-year students say they plan to change majors, according to studies by UCLA. Pick the campus that has a range of undergraduate academic programs and is not just strong in your first choice for a major. In all likelihood, you’ll change your mind about your major at least once.

Also remember that majors don’t equal careers or even jobs, with the exception of a few professional academic programs, such as engineering. As I interviewed recent graduates during the past two years for my forthcoming book, There Is Life After College, the students who felt best served by their undergraduate education were those who received a broad-based education in their course work and gained specific job-related skills in hands-on learning opportunities through internships and research projects.

2. How much debt will you need to take on during four years of school?

Mark Kantrowitz, a leading expert on financial aid, has calculated that half of all colleges give first-year students bigger grants than they do sophomores, juniors, and seniors. In other words, the student loan you take on your first year is likely to be the smallest of your undergraduate career, especially because federal limits on loan amounts increase as you go through college (they are $5,500 for freshmen and $7,500 by the time you reach your junior year).

How much is too much to borrow for college? In interviews for my book, most of the students I talked with who were thriving after college didn’t have any debt at all or just a few thousand dollars, which allowed them maximum flexibility to take the best job opportunity after graduation, in any location no matter the salary. What’s more, according to Gallup’s polling data, most entrepreneurs owe less than $10,000 in student loans — debt any greater has a negative impact on the decision to start a business.

Debt is inevitable for most students. Of those who financed college through loans, the class of 2015 left commencement day $35,000 in debt, on average. Today, 42 percent of those in their 20s and early 30s have student-loan debt. In 1989, only 17 percent did.

The federal government suggests that no more than 15 percent of your income should go toward paying off student-loan debt. Another rule of thumb: Your total undergraduate borrowing should be limited to what you might expect to make your first year after graduation.

3. What is the graduation rate for students like me?

Parents and counselors spend an inordinate amount of time focused on getting students into college. But the most important thing is getting them to commencement day four years later. Only slightly more than 50 percent of American students who enter college leave with a bachelor’s degree.

There are 12.5 million 20-somethings with some college credits and no degree, by far the largest share of the 31 million adults who leave college short of a degree, according to the National Student Clearinghouse. Graduation rates differ by gender, major, and financial status. Be sure to ask the colleges you are considering what the graduation rate is for students like you, not the entire student body.

Making the decision about where to go to college might seem momentous right now, but it’s not a jail sentence. Remember that you can switch campuses a year or two from now, and indeed many do: one-third of students transfer at least once before they earn a bachelor’s degree, so you might be doing this all over again next spring.

(The Washington Post)

The Three Most Important Questions to Ask in Finalizing the College Decision

ISIS Breaks into West Kirkuk, Iraq Energy Facilities

Kirkuk- Energy facilities west of Kirkuk, located in northern Iraq, were made arenas to vicious clashes between ISIS and Peshmerga militants on Sunday.

The clashes came after an attack first launching against the AB2 gas compressor station, about 15 km northwest of Kirkuk, when four gunmen with hand grenades broke through an external door in an attack that left two guards in critical condition.

Assumed ISIS militants then shot dead four employees in a control room inside and planted explosives charges, around five of which went off, the sources said.

Forces from the elite counter-terrorism service stormed the facility, regained control and freed 15 other employees who had hidden in a separate room.

Security sources believe the attackers escaped to the Bai Hassan oil station, 25 km further northwest, the sources said.

Peshmerga commander assigned to the western Kirkuk axis, Kamal Kirkuki told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that “ISIS terror group had struck the AB2 gas compressor station, and were able to break into the station killing four of the employees (two of which are of Arab origins, and the other two are Iraqi Turcomans); a police officer was also wounded .”

After Peshmerga forces arrived at the scene, in cooperation with security forces, the offensive was brought to an end, and the situation put under control, said Kirkuki.

Security sources believe the attackers escaped to the Bai Hassan oil station, 25 km further northwest, sources told Reuters.

There they launched a similar attack, one detonating his explosive vest at an external gate to allow the others to enter. Once inside the facility, two more assailants set off their explosive vests, destroying an oil storage tank.

The fourth assailant was later killed in clashes with security forces. An oil engineer was also killed and six policemen were wounded, security sources said.

The attack forced the suspension of activity at an oil station which had been pumping 55,000 barrels per day to the northern Kurdish region, oil sources said.

It was not clear when operations would return to normal.

Kurdish Peshmerga forces, which have controlled Kirkuk and surrounding areas for two years, were searching nearby villages for militants suspected of involvement in the attacks.

ISIS-backed Amaq news agency said in an online message circulated on Sunday that ISIS fighters had stormed the Bai Hassan facility, but made no mention of the earlier attack.

The group has previously hit oil facilities in the area with explosives, repeatedly targeting oil wells at Khabbaz oilfield southwest of Kirkuk.

The militants, who seized a third of the OPEC producer’s territory in 2014, have lost many areas to an array of Iraqi forces backed by U.S.-led coalition air strikes but still control the northern city of Mosul, their de facto capital in Iraq.

ISIS Breaks into West Kirkuk, Iraq Energy Facilities

Trump Stirs Outrage after He Lashes out at the Muslim Parents of a Dead U.S. Soldier

Republican Donald Trump lashed out Saturday at two Muslim American parents who lost their son while he served in the U.S. military in Iraq and who appeared at the Democratic National Convention last week, stirring outrage among critics who said the episode proves that Trump lacks the compassion and temperament to be president.

Asked to comment on the convention speech of Khizr Khan, a Pakistani immigrant whose son, Army Capt. Humayun Khan, died in Iraq in 2004, Trump described Khan as “very emotional” and said he “probably looked like a nice guy to me” — then accused him of being controlled by the Clinton campaign.

“Who wrote that? Did Hillary’s scriptwriters write it?” he asked in an interview with ABC.

Trump also questioned why Khan’s wife, Ghazala, did not speak on stage, despite the fact that she sat for an interview with MSNBC the following day.

“His wife, if you look at his wife, she was standing there. She had nothing to say. She probably, maybe she wasn’t allowed to have anything to say,” he said. “You tell me, but plenty of people have written that. She was extremely quiet and it looked like she had nothing to say.”

The Khans appeared in Philadelphia on Thursday, the same night that Trump’s Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, formally accepted her party’s nomination. Khizr Khan’s moving remarks quickly reverberated beyond the arena, and their effects have since spilled out onto the campaign trail. In an interview the following day with MSNBC, Ghazala Khan said she did not speak because she is still devastated by her son’s death and grows emotional when she sees his picture.

Although only the latest instance in which Trump has attacked a convention speaker, the Republican nominee’s remarks drew strong rebukes Saturday — but only silence from several senior GOP leaders, including House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the vice-presidential nominee, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence.

“Trump’s slur against Captain Khan’s mother is, even for him, beyond the pale,” tweeted John Weaver, a Republican strategist for Ohio Gov. John Kasich. “He has NO redeeming qualities.”

Matt Mackowiak, another GOP strategist, tweeted: “There is only one response for Trump to the criticism: ‘As an American, I deeply appreciate the patriotic sacrifice of the Khan family.’”

The Clinton campaign’s Karen Finney offered this: “Trump is truly shameless to attack the family of an American hero. Many thanks to the Khan family for your sacrifice, we stand with you.”

In Youngstown, Ohio, on Saturday, Clinton addressed the controversy as part of a larger discussion of Trump’s temperament.

“He attacked the distinguished father of a soldier who had sacrificed himself for his unit, Captain Khan,” Clinton said in disbelief.

In a statement earlier that day, she said: “I was very moved to see Ghazala Khan stand bravely and with dignity in support of her son on Thursday night. And I was very moved to hear her speak last night, bravely and with dignity, about her son’s life and the ultimate sacrifice he made for his country.”

With Ghazala by his side on the convention stage last week, Khizr Khan blasted Trump’s rhetoric on Muslims and immigrants. Pulling his pocket version of the Constitution from his jacket, he questioned whether Trump has read the document.

“You have sacrificed nothing and no one,” Khan said in a halting and forceful voice.

In the ABC interview, Trump pointed to the sacrifices he has made as a businessman: “I think I’ve made a lot of sacrifices. I work very, very hard. I’ve created thousands and thousands of jobs, tens of thousands of jobs,” Trump said.

“I think my popularity with the vets is through the roof,” he added later.

The backlash was swift and unsparing Saturday as high-profile political strategists from both parties tore into Trump and questioned his character.

“Trump revealed exactly who he is in this answer and it’s not pretty. A man this callous and cruel can’t be President,” former Obama senior advisor Dan Pfieffer fired off on Twitter Saturday afternoon.

“There is still a role for shame in society,” Stuart Stevens, former top strategist to 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney, tweeted out Saturday in response.

Paul Rieckoff, the founder and chief executive of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, told ABC that Trump’s comparison of his own sacrifice to that of war veterans is an insult.

“For anyone to compare their ‘sacrifice’ to a Gold Star family member is insulting, foolish and ignorant. Especially someone who has never served himself and has no children serving,” he said. “Our country has been at war for a decade and a half, and the truth is most Americans have sacrificed nothing. Most of them are smart and grounded enough to admit it.”

In a statement titled “Setting the Record Straight,” Trump called Humayun Khan a “hero” but rejected his father’s accusations.

“While I feel deeply for the loss of his son, Mr. Khan who has never met me, has no right to stand in front of millions of people and claim I have never read the Constitution, (which is false) and say many other inaccurate things,” the statement read. “If I become President, I will make America safe again.”

Trump avoided the draft during the Vietnam War through several student deferments. He was later medically disqualified from service.

Several of Trump’s critics said Saturday that Trump’s attacks on the Khans are part of a broader pattern in which the candidate lashes out at others in extraordinarily personal terms for criticizing him. Many say that voters should worry about what it means in terms of Trump’s temperament and, in particular, how he would deal with foreign leaders as president.

“He’s a person that has no self-control. He just has no sense of decency or empathy when it comes to dealing with others,” said Tim Miller, a veteran GOP strategist and former communications director for Jeb Bush. “It’s always zero sum. You compliment me, I compliment you. You criticize me, I mock you. That’s what this is about. It’s all about him and his egotism.”

Miller added that Trump’s past statements, including his attack against Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for being a prisoner of war, have given Democrats an opening to defend the service of veterans in direct response to the Republican nominee’s own words.

Humayun Khan had completed four years of service before he was sent to Iraq. He was killed four months after he arrived.

To cope with their grief in the aftermath of his death, the Khans moved to Charlottesville in order to be closer to their two other sons, who were attending the University of Virginia, as Humayun had. The Khans have also described at times attending funerals for other soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery as a way of remembering their son.

In the MSNBC interview, Ghazala Khan explained why she did not speak Thursday: “I was very nervous because I cannot see my son’s picture, and I cannot even come in the room where his pictures are. And that’s why. I saw the picture [behind] my back, I couldn’t take it and I controlled myself at that time.”

On Saturday, her husband criticized Trump’s response. “That is typical of a person without a soul, without empathy,” Khizr Khan said in Washington. “And Ghazala… she was in such a shape. She was emotionally and physically, she just couldn’t even stand there, and when we left, as soon as we got off camera, she just broke down. And the people inside, the staff, were holding her, consoling her, and she was just totally emotionally spent. And only those parents that have lost their son or daughter could imagine the pain that such memory causes.”

Trump’s comments about the Khan family are the latest in a series of searing attacks against individuals who spoke at the Democratic convention, including retired four-star Marine Corps Gen. John Allen, whom Trump referred to as a “failed general” during a campaign event in Denver.

The Washington Post

Trump Stirs Outrage after He Lashes out at the Muslim Parents of a Dead U.S. Soldier