munaeem | 11 December, 2006 20:34
Via The Washington Post.
"The majority is here," says a Shiite Muslim Man,Ayyash.
Saad Hariri claimed the same thing when he addressesd the crowd gathered for the funeral of slain anti-Damascus minister Pierre Gemayel :
"You are here for a new revolution to show the entire world that the sons of Rafiq Hariri and the brothers of Pierre Gemayel are the majority in Lebanon."
Sunnis, Shi'as and Maronites (the three largest sects) claim that their particular religious affiliation holds a majority in the country - adding up to over 150% of the total population."They said that you are a virtual majority, but we are the reality and they are virtual."
Religious population statistics Facts
The 18 recognized sects.
- Last census held in 1932.
munaeem | 11 December, 2006 00:51
Gulf Arab leaders are considering a joint civilian nuclear programme, a move that could heighten proliferation concerns in the oil-rich region.
A GCC statement released on Sunday said: "The states of
the region have a right to possess nuclear technology for peaceful
purposes."
Analysts have recently been projecting that Saudi Arabia and Egypt will ask to develop nuclear capability after the Iranians in order not to be left in the dust behind the rising power in the Middle East.
A few months ago, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak announced that his country plans to establish a nuclear power plant and to obtain nuclear power for peaceful purposes in order to solve the energy crisis in his country "for the coming generations." After this announcement, Saudi Arabia was also expected to declare a similar step.
Egypt once had a nuclear weapons program, but gave it up in the 1970s and joined the NPT.
The area's Arab nations have expressed worry over the disputed Iranian nuclear program, which is the focus of a standoff with the West over Tehran's refusal to suspend uranium enrichment. Iran insists its program is for peaceful purposes, including generating electricity.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates's admission that Israel has nuclear weapons , has caused further anxiety in the Arabs.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said Egypt, Jordan and Yemen are among nations around the world considering nuclear programs, in october warning about the threat of atomic arms proliferation.
| « | December 2006 | » | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | Su |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
