Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Gatestone Update :: Soeren Kern: Spain's New "Fornicators", and more



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Spain's New "Fornicators"

by Soeren Kern
August 20, 2013 at 5:00 am
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Public prosecutors in Spain have dropped charges of "advocating gender violence" against a Muslim cleric who, on April 2013, preached a two-hour sermon in Spanish, entitled "The Queens of Islam," during which he made a number of pronouncements about the role of women in Spanish society, including: "Any woman who wears perfume and leaves the house and walks past men who can smell her perfume is a fornicator, and every glance she gets is a fornication."
The case involves Malik Ibn Benaisa, a Muslim imam based in Ceuta, a Spanish exclave in North Africa where Muslims constitute about 50% of the total population.
Benaisa also said that women should be banned from wearing blue jeans and high heels and from leaving the house unless their hands and face are completely covered.
The comments, which were aired on Spanish public television, enraged women's rights activists and triggered a nationwide debate over when religious speech becomes abusive and crosses the line into "sexual discrimination" and "gender violence."
After Benaisa's sermon was re-broadcast on Spanish public television for a second time during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in July, the Secretary for Gender Equality for the Spanish Socialist Party in Ceuta, Sandra López Cantero, accused Benaisa of being an "advocate for gender violence" and called on public prosecutors to investigate the imam for violating the Spanish Penal Code.
During a press conference on July 23, Cantero recited quotes from Benaisa's sermon: "A women cannot show her face or bare hands, she cannot wear high heeled shoes, she cannot wear blue jeans, she must wear a scarf to cover her chest, she cannot pluck her eyebrows and she cannot wear perfume because if she uses it she becomes a fornicator. A woman must keep her head down because a jealous husband can cause problems with other men. A woman should be in total submission to her husband. She has an obligation to wear the veil."
Cantero added: "We will not allow anyone to hide behind any religion or any culture in order to advocate violence. The Socialist Party will not allow any attack on the dignity of women, wherever it may come from. We will not allow the advocacy of violence, especially in a public medium."
For his part, the President of the center-right Government of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, said in a statement that he "manifests his defense of the unequivocal values ​​enshrined in the Spanish Constitution, and in particular, those relating to non-discrimination and equality between men and women."
Vivas added: "The Government of Ceuta believes that all should endeavor, each within the scope of their responsibilities, to reconcile respect for all faiths with the supremacy of democratic values ​​that are the pillars of our social order and of coexistence."
Amid considerable media controversy across Spain, Benaisa organized a press conference at the Ibn Rochd Benzúa mosque in Ceuta to defend himself. Surrounded by some 150 Muslim female supporters, Benaisa said he lamented the "de-contextualization" of his statements, which he said were aimed exclusively at "Muslim women" in accordance with "the teachings of the Prophet and the Koran."
Malik Ibn Benaisa, surrounded by supporters, speaks at a press conference in Ceuta.
According to Benaisa, "My message has always been to advise and not to impose, as this is not part of Islam, because in the Koran Allah makes it clear that there is no compulsion in religion."
Benaisa also said that the term "fornicating" was not offensive in tone and that its essence was applicable to both men and women, "who when preening themselves excessively before going out are seeking to be unfaithful to their partners and to Allah."
Spanish public prosecutors have decided to give Benaisa the benefit of the doubt. After analyzing Benaisa's sermon, the district attorney concluded that the imam had not broken any laws.
In a statement dated August 7, the Ceuta District Attorney said that labelling women as fornicators is not a crime: "In relation to domestic violence, the law refers to concrete action in the form of threats, injuries, coercion or abuse, while the sexual or religious discrimination section of Article 510 of the Penal Code refers to encouraging discrimination, hatred or violence. This did not occur at the conference in question."
In an interview with the Madrid-based newspaper El Mundo, Benaisa said: "Europeans are very ethnocentric, they believe that if they think something, everyone thinks alike. Spanish society has such a low opinion of Islam and of Muslim women because of the media. Whenever there is a case of abuse perpetrated by a Muslim they attribute it to religious principles. But when the accused is a non-Muslim, no one ever mentions if the abuser was a Christian or a Jew or a Buddhist or a New Age follower."
Benaisa is not the first Muslim cleric to test the limits of Spanish laws on religious freedom.
In Barcelona, a court found Mohamed Kamal Mustafa, a Muslim cleric at a mosque in the southern Spanish city of Fuengirola, guilty of inciting violence against women after he published a book entitled "Women in Islam," in which he advised men on how to beat their wives without leaving incriminating marks.
Mustafa wrote that verbal warnings followed by a period of sexual inactivity could be used to discipline a disobedient wife. If that failed, he argued that, according to Islamic law, husbands could administer beatings. "The blows should be concentrated on the hands and feet," he wrote, "using a rod that is thin and light so that it does not leave scars or bruises on the body."
The judge sentenced Mustafa to six months in prison and ordered him to study the Spanish Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Mustafa was released after 22 days on the condition that he undertake a "re-education course." An unrepentant Mustafa characterized his time in prison as a "spiritual retreat."
In January 2010, Mohamed Benbrahim, an imam in the city of Tarragona near Barcelona, was arrested for forcing Fatima Ghailan, a 31-year-old Moroccan woman, to wear a hijab, an Islamic head covering. The imam had threatened to burn down the woman's house because, according to him, she is an "infidel" as she works outside of the home, drives an automobile and has non-Muslim friends. Bowing to political pressure to prevent "a social conflict," a court in Tarragona absolved Benbrahim of all wrongdoing.
In March 2012, Spanish authorities arrested a radical Islamic preacher for calling on Muslims to use physical and psychological violence to "discipline" errant wives who refuse to submit to Islamic Sharia law or obey their husbands.
Spanish public prosecutors said Abdeslam Laaroussi, a charismatic imam from Morocco who preaches at a large mosque in Terrassa, an industrial city 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of Barcelona, was guilty of "incitement to violence against women" for "providing concrete examples of the manner in which wives should be beaten, how to isolate them inside the family home and how to deny them sexual relations."
Police say witnesses provided them with recordings of sermons Laaroussi preached at the Badr Mosque in downtown Terrassa where more than 1,500 people attend prayers services each Friday, and where he instructed his listeners to "hit women with the use of a stick, the fist or the hand so that no bones are broken and no blood is drawn."
Laaroussi has refused to cooperate with police or provide evidence: he says he does not recognize the legitimacy of the Spanish state.
Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute. He is also Senior Fellow for European Politics at the Madrid-based Grupo de Estudios Estratégicos / Strategic Studies Group. Follow him on Facebook.
Related Topics:  Spain  |  Soeren Kern

South America Goes Nuclear: Now Brazil

by Debalina Ghoshal
August 20, 2013 at 4:00 am
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In Venezuela, Russia is building naval capabilities, including nuclear-powered guided-missile cruisers and anti-submarine ships. Chile's Scorpène class submarine can be fitted with missiles. Argentina is also eyeing nuclear-powered submarines, equipped, however, at least for now, with conventional weapons.
Brazil, a party to the Non Proliferation Treaty, is reportedly planning to develop indigenously a nuclear-propulsion system: the nation's first submarine is expected to be operational by 2017; its first nuclear submarine by 2023.[1]
If Brazil develops a nuclear submarine, it would be South America's first,[2] and enable Brazil to project itself as a "developed country with sophisticated industry capable of absorbing, mastering and using advanced technologies."[3]
The nuclear submarine program is based on Pressurised Water Reactors, which enable a submarine to deliver a large amount of power from very low amount of energy, Brazil could could use either Low Enriched Uranium, nuclear fuel enriched up to 20% which is "easier and less expensive to acquire,"[4] or Highly Enriched Uranium, processed between 50-90%.
Evidently prompted by the lessons of Falklands War of 1982, as well as by a desire to protect Brazil's large off-shore oil reserves in the Amazon region, Brazil took its first step toward establishing a sea-based deterrent in 2009, when its leadership decided to develop five submarines -- some of them nuclear-powered.

Background

During the Falklands War, a British nuclear-powered submarine sank the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano, propelling both Argentina and Brazil to recognize the importance of a strong navy.[5] As Brazil has always advocated Argentina's claims over the Falkland Islands,[6] an increased projection of power from Brazil could be of concern to Britain.
At present, Brazil's navy, built largely in cooperation with France[7] is seen as a "key part of the country's new national armaments and defence strategy." [8] Submarines are "a key part of Brazil's effort to build a modern navy that can defend its oil and trade interests in the South Atlantic, a region long dominated by British and U.S. navies,"[9] where United States "patrolled, shadowed, trailed and tracked Soviet strategic submarines as part of their forward deployment strategy."[10]
The naval expert Ambassador Paul D. Taylor[11] has pointed out three maritime goals in Brazil's national defence concept: "Sea denial, control of maritime areas, and power projection."[12] Brazil's navy is responsible for the protection of some 7400 km of coastline, of which, submarines would form an integral component.[13] The submarines could be used not only to attack the lines of communication of adversaries, but also for power projection "through the disembarkation of special forces, for intelligence collection, and for laying mines".[14]
The Scorpène class conventional submarine designed to maximise stealth and have low acoustic, magnetic, electro-magnetic, and infra-red signatures [15]is reportedly to be used for "anti-submarine warfare, special operations and intelligence collection."[16] Flexible cables to be used are for reduction of noise; and special low-noise emission components for rotating machinery. [17] Conventional submarines, however, may not be sufficient to protect Brazil's oil wealth; hence, the need for nuclear powered submarines.
The Scorpène-class submarine Carrera SS-24, in service with the Chilean navy. (Photo source: WikiMedia Commons)
Mauricio Santoro, a political scientist, writes that the nuclear submarine technology would enable the Brazilian navy to "create a "production prototype,"[18] which could be used subsequently in other naval vessels, such as aircraft carriers.
Brazil is part of the BRICS group of emerging economies (Brazil, Russia, India and China, South Africa). All members except South Africa have ventured into nuclear powered submarine programs. Brazil may also be concerned about Chile's submarine capabilities. Although Chile does not possess any nuclear attack submarines, its Scorpène class submarine can be fitted with anti-ship and anti-submarine torpedoes as well as anti-surface missiles.[19] An advantage with Scorpène class submarines is that they can be fitted with air-independent propulsion, which means they can stay submerged for a longer duration than those with conventional propulsion. Argentina is also eyeing nuclear powered submarines, but equipped, at least for now, with conventional weapons.
In Venezuela, Russia is building naval capabilities, including nuclear-powered guided-missile cruisers and anti-submarine ships.
Nuclear submarines would, therefore, in the words of Brazilian President Rousseff, "allow [Brazil] to affirm itself on the world stage, and, above all, develop in an independent sovereign way

Towards Nuclear Weapons Proliferation

Brazil's nuclear submarine would apparently mean a "revival of nuclear development by the Brazilian military that was halted in 1990 with the end of the country's nuclear bomb program."[20] In 2000, however, Brazil's government began exploring a civil nuclear program. Even though Brazil is officially a party to the Non Proliferation Treaty, former President Lula da Silva criticized the NPT as discriminatory toward non-nuclear-weapons states. Brazil's unwillingness to join the Additional Protocol of the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty further signals efforts toward nuclearization.
Venezuela's close collaboration with Russia and Iran may result in the proliferation of nuclear material or weapons from these countries to Venezuela. There were reports in 2011 that Venezuela, in collaboration with Iran, was building missiles deployed within range of the United States.
Brazil would be reasonable to conclude that even basic nuclear capability could deter hostile South American states or other rival attempts on its vast oil resources.
Brazil's constitution bans the development of nuclear weapons; also, as a member of Agência Brasileiro-Argentina de Contabilidade e Côntrole de Materiais Nucleares (ABACC), the country would be subject to the monitoring of all nuclear stockpiles. Still, the agency's ability to prevent Brazil from becoming nuclear state is questionable. Moreover, the NPT has a loophole for the non-nuclear-weapons states: in a "critical non-proliferation concern for international community," [21] members can legitimately stockpile large amounts of enriched, weapons-grade uranium, resulting, as with Brazil, in their drifting away from the treaty.[22]
Of note, therefore, is Brazil's support for the development of nuclear weapons as a crucial tool of deterrence: to portray itself as an important player in international politics and possibly an eventual bid for permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council.
Brazil carries out its nuclear submarine construction in areas it considers "restricted military areas" that bar investigation from the International Atomic Energy Agency. As nuclear submarines require enriched uranium, Brazil could disguise its submarine development as a means to develop nuclear weapons.

Deterrence

Existential deterrence -- the product of a mode of thought that emphasizes military capabilities over diplomacy and rhetoric -- has, in the nuclear age, been acclaimed by many states as a strategic necessity. As has been stated: "Potential opponents would be expected to draw conclusions about the capacity and will which would inform their own posture and actions."[23] Brazil therefore asserts its nuclear powered submarines as a peaceful deterrent and not a weapon of war.
Since the Cold War era, common belief has held that mutual assured destruction ["MAD",] especially with a stated policy of "no first use," can be strengthened with the deployment of nuclear-powered submarines. Brazil may well determine that if it acquires nuclear capability, at least some of its weapons could survive an enemy's first strike and thereby deter further attempts at aggression.

Conclusion

By stating that submarines would be used for defensive roles only, Brazil apparently tries to make clear, as the analyst William Goncalvez stated, that it has "strategic needs," but no desire to fuel an "arms race….nor does it want to be a military power."[24]
At a time when countries such as China, Russia, and Iran are intensifying their efforts to deny to their adversaries access to certain areas,[25] Brazil's nuclear-powered submarines could also enable the country to enhance its sea-denial capabilities. Brazil's nuclear-powered submarine is expected to have a "world wide reach, deep water stealth, and strike capability."[26] The submarine could further be used for finding and tracking enemy submarines and to carry out covert missions for intelligence gathering.
The cost of building the fleet of submarines would be high, estimated up to USD $4 billion. As such, Brazil's domestic problems might cause a reduction to its defense budget. Moreover, the Brazilian navy has had an uneven experience with its French Sao Paulo aircraft carrier which, when deployed,[27] has undergone a number of mechanical problems.
Brazil's submarine capabilities could, of course, enable it to take part in warfare away from Brazil's borders. When under the threat of nuclear war, having the capability to wage a war distant from the homefront is advantageous. Although, under the Treaty of Tlalelolco of 1967, Latin America is at present is a nuclear-weapons-free zone, Brazil's move towards nuclearization could prompt Venezuela and Argentina to follow suit.
Brazil could also eventually develop SSBNs(ship-submersible ballistic missile nuclear-powered submarines), which can fire submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and which are one of the components of a nuclear triad -- to move towards a credible deterrent. Brazil could choose to develop submarine-launched missiles or torpedoes. In the long run, the nuclear attack submarines could be converted to submarines capable of carrying nuclear-powered cruise missiles. Only then can Brazil strengthen its Continuous-at-Sea Deterrent, or the ability of a submarine armed with nuclear missiles to be on constant patrol.
These nuclear developments in Brazil are worth watching closely: the precariousness of deterrence, or of collapsed or ineffective deterrence, easily leads to all-out war.
Debalina Ghoshal is an Associate Fellow at the Centre for Air Power Studies, India.
[1] "Brazil to build first nuclear submarines", Xinhua News, March 2, 2013. [2] "Brazil to build nuclear submarines which will dramatically alter balance of power in South America", Mail Online, July 19, 2013. [3] Fabiana Frayssinet, "Brazil's new nuclear subs to defend oil fields", AL JAZEERA, July 23, 2011. [4] Serener Kelleher-Vergantini, "Brazil Moves Toward Nuclear Submarine", ARMS CONTROL ASSOCIATION, April 2013. [5] At present, Brazil fields the SSK Tikuna and SSK Tupi class SSKs. SSKs are conventional attack submarines. In the United States, the Navy used SS to classify that the vessel was a submarine (and K was to denote the submarine was a hunter killer. SSK was the hull classification symbol of the United States' Navy. [6] NOTE: Since oil reserves have been discovered in the Falkland Islands, further tensions have risen in the region. [7] Note: Brazil's partner has been France DCNS (Direction Technique des Constructions Navales) and Brazil's Odebrecht -- as well as Spain, albeit with French enhancements. [8]"Brazil & France in Deal for SSKs, SSN", DEFENSE INDUSTRY DAILY, April 11, 2013. [9] Anthony Boadle, UPDATE 1- Brazil launches program to build nuclear submarine in a decade", REUTERS, March 1, 2013. [10] Vijay Sakhuja, "Sea Based Deterrence and Indian Security", IDSA, <http://www.idsa-india.org/an-apr-2.01.htm> [11] Ambassador Taylor was Foreign Service officer and navy veteran. [12] Paul D. Taylor, "Why Does Brazil Need Nuclear Submarine?", U.S. Naval Institute, June 2009, Vol. 135/6/1,276. [13] Brazil Submarine Capabilities, Nuclear Threat Initiative, July 18, 2013. [14] Ibid. [15] Fabiana, n.3. [16] "Brazil To Get Its First Nuclear Submarine", Defense News, March 2, 2013. [17] Ibid. [18] Fabiana, n.3. [19] SSK Scorpene Class Attack Submarine, France, naval-technology.com [20]Brazil launches program to build nuclear submarine in a decade, n.8. [21] Greg Thielmann, Wyatt Hoffman, "Submarine Nuclear Reactors: A Worsening Proliferation Challenge", Arms Control Association, July 26, 2012. [22] Ibid. [23] Michael Codner, "DEFINING DETERRENCE: Framing Deterrence in the 21st Century", May 18th-19th, 2009. [24] Fabiana Frayssinet, n.8. [25] It is a naval concept in which states develop military build up at sea in order to prevent the military dominance of another power in a particular region. [26] "Brazil builds fleet to parade military on world stage", WORLD REVIEW [27] Ibid.

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