The killing of an Egyptian at the hands of Latin American extremists opened the file of attacks on Arab immigrants in Europe. The editorial of the London-based independent political daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi said attacks on and killing of Arab and Muslim immigrants in Europe are on the rise. The killing of Marwa El-Sherbini at the hands of a German racist extremist in a German court was followed by the death of another Egyptian immigrant this week at the hands of Latin American extremists in Milan, Italy. As a result, a group of Egyptian and Moroccan immigrants tried to take revenge by destroying the properties of Latin American immigrants. The edit expected police intervention to calm the situation down, however eyewitnesses confirmed that some of its members showed hostility to the protesters but did not show similar feelings towards the aggressors. Attacks against immigrants included groups other than Arabs and Muslims because of the emergence of rightist extremists in Europe, as the editorial added. Nevertheless, attacks against Arab and Muslim groups are the most according to official European statistics. Every week an issue is raised against Muslims like the hijab or niqab. More dangerous is the republishing of caricatures of the Prophet Mohamed which incite Muslims in Europe to commit acts of vengeance which consequently increase hatred for Muslims among Europeans. "European governments are responsible for the rise of Islamophobia in their countries as we saw in the recent events in Milan. Thus they are required to provide protection to Arab and Muslim immigrants," the edit said. The fifth anniversary of the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Al-Hariri was marked in Lebanon this week. Raqan Al-Majali wrote that the political accord between the March 14 and March 8 groups added an emotional touch to this year's anniversary. Many spectres that haunted the anniversary in previous years have disappeared, the first being Syria which some claimed would regain its hold on Lebanon. But according to current Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri, Al-Hariri's son, who recently paid Damascus a visit, Syria aims to integrate with Lebanon. The second spectre is that of parliamentary elections and who would win the majority. Another was that of the international tribunal investigating Al-Hariri's death. People now tend to respect the decision of the tribunal whatever it is and however late it comes. Al-Majali described the present situation in Lebanon as a truce that the Lebanese would like to turn into a strategy not only based on Lebanon's internal will but on external and regional determination as well. "14 February was a chance to quietly recite Al-Fateha [the opening sura of the Quran] on the soul of Al-Hariri. But the songs and dances included in the celebrations indicated that the Lebanese have substituted sorrow for happiness. That's Lebanon," Al-Majali wrote in the independent Jordanian political daily Addustour. Abdel-Rahman Al-Rashed wrote that despite the ceremony and the 50,000 demonstrators in the centre of Beirut, Al-Hariri's anniversary became a less tumultuous event because of the events that took place in the last few months: Al-Hariri's recent visit to Syria, the mutual visits between Syrian and Saudi leaders, the formation of the government and the end of the absurd opposition movement. Nevertheless, Al-Rashed added, domestic and external Lebanese problems did not end. Damascus still wants to be a permanent party in the Lebanese game, Hizbullah will not rest until it forced Lebanon into another war with Israel, and the conflict between Christian leaders would come to the forefront in any future crisis. "Lebanon will always be an open issue even if the file of the assassination of Rafik Al-Hariri is closed," Al-Rashed wrote in the London- based political daily Asharq Al-Awsat. However, he expressed sorrow that the investigation into the assassination was closed without punishing its perpetrators. At a time when the whole world confronted the perpetrators of massacres in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Liberia, nobody cared when similar events took place in the Arab world, as if crimes are part of Arab culture. Al-Rashed said a proper trial in Al-Hariri's case could have been a lesson to everybody that crimes will not go unpunished and that political differences will only be settled via legal channels. In other words, it could have been a line demarking anarchic Lebanon and lawful Lebanon. But the opportunity was lost because the tribunal was silenced, the file was closed and the reconciliation was concluded in Arab style. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's tour of the Middle East prompted the Syrian political daily Tishreen to shed light on the dangerous situation in the region. The newspaper's editorial said Clinton was pushing the region against Iran and holding Arab states responsible for a halt in the peace negotiations. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu openly declared his rejection of a just peace while his government officials talked about the possibility of another war in the region. What causes more pessimism, according to the edit, is the US stand which promised to open a dialogue and reach détente with the Muslim world and establish peace in the region but reneged on its pledge and gave up its quest for peace. "On the peripheral of a symposium on a dialogue between the US and Muslim world, Clinton declared the US could not press Israel into entering peace talks and that the Arabs and Israel are the parties that should make peace together. Clinton also launched threats against Iran in a forum that was supposedly for dialogue, not intimidation," the edit read. The edit concluded by reminding Clinton that if Israel wanted peace, there would not be any need for US mediation. The Arabs want peace, but the problem is in the Israeli side that does not want peace which is why the US role is important.
