Titles:

• US congressman fuels hatred against Muslims
• Morocco: France hails the King’s speech
• Gates: NATO planning for all military options on Libya
• Doctors Report Bahrain Used Nerve Gas On Demonstrators
• Is Saudi Arabia next: U.S. calls Saudis to respect people’s right to protest
• UAE activists demand direct elections
• Soros: The Chinese Model Of Suppressing Individuals Could Become The Envy Of The World

News Details:

US congressman fuels hatred against Muslims
A US congressman has warned al-Qaeda is actively recruiting US Muslims for violent attacks within the country. Representative Peter King, a Republican, spoke at a House homeland security committee hearing into the “radicalization” of US Muslims. He said “homegrown radicalization” was “part of al-Qaeda’s strategy to continue attacking the US”. Critics say the hearing will feed anti-Islamic sentiment and have criticized Mr King for singling Muslims out. A senior Democratic congressman warned the committee not to “blot the good name” of American Muslims. Mr King, a New York Democrat, has said US mosques are a breeding ground for radical attitudes.

Morocco: France hails the King’s speech
France has praised the King of Morocco for announcing wide-ranging reforms it called ‘important, responsible and brave.’Mohamed VI promised an independent judiciary, a stronger role for parliament and political parties and a programme to devolve more power to local officials. The King appeared on TV flanked by his brother and son. At the moment, he has the power to dissolve parliament, and has a major say in appointing the prime minister. His reforms would mean the premier coming from the majority party, and parliament would elect the government. Good governance, human rights and the protection of liberties, he said, would be enshrined in the new constitution. Emboldened by their neighbors’ discontent in Tunisia and Egypt, Moroccans found their voice last month. One opposition leader said the King had responded favorably to all constitutional demands. The changes will be subject to a referendum.

Gates: NATO planning for all military options on Libya
NATO has agreed to continue planning for all military options on Libya, the U.S. defense secretary said on Thursday. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that NATO had agreed to reposition ships closer to Libya, but was not increasing the number of ships in the Mediterranean. “It’s my impression that we’re really not talking so much about increasing the number of ships, as it is about repositioning ships that are already in the region (closer to Libya),” he told reporters after a NATO meeting.

Doctors Report Bahrain Used Nerve Gas On Demonstrators
Back on February 13, Bahrain vowed to use tougher anti-protest methods to prevent the people of the tiny kingdom from demanding government reform. Doctors confirmed the Bahraini state is in fact using “potentially lethal and stronger methods” in order to put down calls for a more representative government. “Doctors from the scene of violent anti-government protests in Yemen’s capital said that what was thought to be tear gas fired by government forces on demonstrators may have been nerve gas, which is forbidden under international law,” reports the Australian. “The material in this gas makes people convulse for hours. It paralyses them. They couldn’t move at all. We tried to give them oxygen but it didn’t work,” said Amaar Nujaim, a field doctor who works for Islamic Relief. Pathologist Mohammad Al-Sheikh said that some of the victims had lost muscular control and were forced to wear diapers. Reports indicate victims of nerve gas apparently used by the monarchy on its citizens were not engaged in violence. “Military personnel opened fire on Tuesday night and used what was originally assumed to be tear gas to disperse a group of demonstrators who were trying to bring additional tents into the protest area outside Sanaa University,” the Australian continues. Witnesses said soldiers fired warning shots into the air before shooting gas and live bullets at demonstrators, killing one and injuring at least 50.

Is Saudi Arabia next: U.S. calls Saudis to respect people’s right to protest
The United States has called on Saudi authorities to respect the right to protest following a massive clampdown on anti-government protesters in the ultra-conservative kingdom.  “The United States supports a set of universal rights, including the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression,” AFP quoted State Department spokesman Philip Crowley as saying on Monday.  “Those rights must be respected everywhere, including Saudi Arabia,” he added.  “The Saudi position on protests is actually not new. We have communicated our position to the Saudi government as part of our regular ongoing dialogue and have been for some time.”  The remarks come as protests and any public displays of dissent are forbidden in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi interior ministry on Saturday announced anti-government protests as “illegal.”  On Sunday, Saudi senior Wahhabi clerics censured opposition demonstrations as “un-Islamic.”  The Council of Senior Scholars in a statement said, “Reform and advice do not take place through demonstrations and methods that fan sedition. The council stresses that demonstrations are prohibited in this country, and that the Islamic way of realizing common interest is by offering advice.”  A group of Saudi youths has posted a message on Facebook, calling for a “Saudi Revolution” on March 20 to demand democratic and political reform in the monarchy.

UAE activists demand direct elections
A group of Emirati intellectuals and activists on Wednesday petitioned the president of the Gulf state to introduce direct elections and vest the parliament with legislative powers. The petition, posted online, cites “rapid regional and international developments that necessitate improving national participation,” in calling for the direct election of all members of the Federal National Council (FNC), which serves only as an advisory body. It also calls for “the amendment of constitutional articles to power the Federal National Council with full legislative and regulatory powers.” The petition, which comes amid sweeping uprisings in several Arab countries demanding regime changes, was signed by 133 UAE nationals, including academics, journalists and rights activists. Petitioners lamented that the process of efforts to widen political participation over 39 years, since the United Arab Emirates federation was formed, “have not followed the constitution.” They wrote that the constitution stipulates a “process towards a comprehensive democratic parliamentary system.” The UAE, which groups seven emirates including Abu Dhabi and Dubai, had indirect elections in 2006 for the first time, where members of electoral colleges appointed by the emirates’ rulers were entitled to vote half the members of 40-strong council. The remainder were named by President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahayan.

Soros: The Chinese Model Of Suppressing Individuals Could Become The Envy Of The World
This week Soros the billionaire tycoon said, “The world does need order, and that order needs maintenance. The idea that markets can correct their excesses turned out to be false. “Perfect order and global governance are not realistic expectations. However, it is a sad fact that Western democracies provide less successful leadership than China.”[China’s model of state capitalism, in which the interests of the individual are subordinated to those of the government, pose a danger if its example becomes] “The envy of the world.”