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Connect the World
Secretary Clinton Makes Way For Secretary Kerry; Dow Jones Closes Above 14,000; Phil Mickelson Misses 59 By "That Much"
Aired February 01, 2013 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: Tonight, final day on the job.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I am more optimistic today than I was when I stood here four years ago.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: A closer look at Hillary Clinton's legacy and the biggest challenges for her (inaudible).
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN London, this is Connect the World with Becky Anderson.
ANDERSON: Well, Clinton leaves her post as U.S. secretary of state the same day a bomb explodes outside the American embassy in Turkey. And violence escalates in Cairo.
Also this hour...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (inaudible) OK. Alcohol, gone. This is a Muslim area.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Just a handful of men trying to impose Sharia law. We ask what it means for neighborhoods like this one around the globe.
And fancy a three day weekend every week. Well, it's now one government's official policy. So is there a catch?
I'm going to get you more on Hillary Clinton's departure in just a moment. First, though, two developing stories this hour including a suicide attack on the U.S. embassy in Turkey. And in Egypt, protesters take their anger to the president's doorstep. Demonstrators marching on the presidential palace, some hurling Molotov cocktails and rocks at the palace walls. Riot police fired tear gas and water cannons to try to clear the crowds.
We're just now hearing that one person has been killed in those clashes in Cairo. Let's get straight to our senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman for the very latest from there.
Ben, what is the situation at this hour?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the security forces, Becky, have managed to push the protesters back up the streets from the Ittihadiyah, the seat of the Egyptian president. In those clashes, at least one man killed, shot in the head and the chest, we're told by hospital sources, with live ammunition. More than two dozen people wounded. Those clashes ongoing as we speak.
Just a little while ago on -- live on Egyptian TV, we saw one of those protesters who was grabbed by the riot police, they stripped him naked and beat him on the ground, pictures as I said, broadcast live on Egyptian television.
There are clashes ongoing in other parts of Cairo just off of Tahrir, south of Tahrir near the American embassy as well.
Now President Mohamed Morsy has said that the security forces will act decisively to protect government institutions. He's put responsibility on this violence on the opposition and called on the opposition to pull its supporters out of the area around the Ittihadiyah. However, the opposition says their supporters had nothing to do with those protests.
What is clear is there is a broad, widening gap between what people are doing in the streets of Cairo and other Egyptian cities, and what the politicians are talking about among themselves -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Ben, if there was one demand that you can hear being voiced by those protesters tonight, it is what?
WEDEMAN: It's simple. It's the same demand we heard during the revolution. The people want to topple the regime. The period of political compromise seems to be fading. The opposition has been in talks about trying to calm down the situation with the Muslim Brotherhood, not with Mohamed Morsy, the president.
Now one of the main grievances is, of course, the constitution that was passed in a referendum by more than 60 percent of those who voted who were actually only 30 percent of the electorate. But at this point, what we're hearing from people outside of Ittihadiyah palace is they just want the Muslim Brotherhood to go. It's that simple -- Becky.
ANDERSON: All right, Ben -- Ben Wedeman in Cairo for you this evening.
That's the first story we are covering, the other is a suicide attack on the U.S. embassy in Ankara in Turkey. The White House says it is, and I quote, "clearly an act of terror."
Well, the blast blew a hole in a security checkpoint in the embassy entrance killing a Turkish security guard. A Turkish journalist was also seriously wounded. Some reports say several other people were injured as well.
Turkish officials believe the bomber was the man in this 1997 video taken after he tried to bomb an Istanbul police station. They say he belonged to a radical Marxist/Leninist terror organization.
Well, the outgoing U.S. secretary of state commented on the bombing in Ankara just a short time ago. Hillary Clinton says it's a reminder that we live in a, quote, "very complex and dangerous era."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: I spoke with the ambassador and the team there. I spoke with my Turkish counterpart. And I told them how much we valued their commitment and their sacrifice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, those comments were part of Clinton's farewell address at the U.S. State Department. It was her very last day on the job, her staff crowded around and showed their appreciation.
Well, she says she is proud of the work they did, telling her staff they made a real difference.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: I am so grateful that we've had a chance to contribute in each of our ways to making our country and our world stronger, safer, fairer, and better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Clinton is being replaced by John Kerry, a former presidential candidate, you'll remember, who served for nearly 30 years in the senate. He's taking an oath of office today in a private ceremony.
Well, Hillary Clinton visited 112 countries during the four years she served as America's top diplomat. Our world affairs reporter Elise Labott traveled with her on some of those trips. Elise, joining us now from the State Department to talk about Clinton's legacy.
112 countries, a million miles, very little sleep for either her or you it seems as part of the pack. She is so, she says, satisfied she's leaving America in better shape than it was four years ago.
You know Hillary Clinton, how will she be feeling tonight?
ELISE LABOTT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Becky, on one hand I think she's going to be very relieved, very happy to get a good rest. You know, you've seen the toll that this job has taken on her in the last four years. Just in the last month she was sidelined with a terrible stomach flu, then she had a concussion which lead to a blood clot. I mean, you can really see the toll this has taken on her.
On the other hand, she's really been in the thick of it for the last four years, has loved, I think, every minute of traveling around the world. And she says she's really going to miss the work. In fact, she joked when you just saw the goodbye ceremony out there. She said she was going to be calling the operation center just for fun.
I think, you know, she's looking for rest, but clearly it's going to be a lot different on Monday.
ANDERSON: Well, I hope she looks for some fun that's other than calling ops.
Listen, Elise stay with me. I want our viewers to get a sense of the global reaction to Clinton's last day in office. Our reporters in Russia and Kenya captured the moods on the streets for you. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Phil Black in Moscow. In early 2009, Hillary Clinton reset relations with Russia, literally. She and her Russian counterpart got together, pushed a big red button and it was supposed to mark the start of a new warm, fuzzy caring relationship. And for awhile, it worked, kind of. They worked together, got some big things done. But the two countries never became firm friends. And then over the last 12 months that relationship deteriorated sharply.
Some Russians blame Hillary Clinton, some don't.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Hillary is a very charismatic person. So generally, Russian soften their position towards the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I don't take her seriously. I don't support her politics, nor the general policies of the United States.
BLACK: Hillary Clinton leaves her job with U.S.-Russian relations the frostiest they've been in a long time. And both countries increasingly taking divergent paths. The issues are many and varied. And a new secretary of state isn't going to be able to turn that around quickly.
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNAITONAL CORREPSONDENT: I'm Nima Elbagir in Nairobi where the news of Hillary Clinton's last day in office is being greeted with the same indifference that many here feel characterized her attitude to the African continent. In spite of initial high hopes after Barack Obama's election, the feeling is that Africa has fared worse under Obama and his team than it did under their predecessors, even George W. Bush has visited more African countries than President Obama.
And rightly, or wrongly, Hillary Clinton is getting a lot of the blame for that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Elise, we've heard from Kenya, we've heard there from Russia. I wonder, though, given that we were talking to Ben earlier on and reporting, of course, on the U.S. embassy bombing in Ankara. I wonder whether her legacy won't be written in the ashes of the Arab Spring. What do you think?
LABOTT: Well, certainly the Arab Spring took up a good chunk of her work here. And it's largely an unwritten book, Becky. I mean, a couple of chapters have been closed. You saw the fall of Hosni Mubarak and Moammar Gadhafi, leaders in Tunisia and elsewhere, but at the same time you see the crisis in Syria, you see Egypt still a lot of chaos there, a lot of question has been was noting about Mohamed Morsy, that they want the Muslim Brotherhood out.
This region is really in the midst of turmoil that's going to be going on for a very long time. And I don't think -- you know, although the administration was kind of tentatively supportive of the Arab Spring as it was developing. You remember, Secretary Clinton was one of the first people to warn these regimes that they would sink in the sand if they didn't reform.
So I think although the administration might have known that there were going to be problems with the lack of reform in the Middle East, I don't think they really could have foreseen what happened.
I think, Becky, what maybe Secretary Clinton's main legacy will be here is that she brought a lot of issues to the forefront that weren't really paid attention to at that high level as the secretary of state -- food security, poverty, women and girls, human rights, those type of things that she says are the main challenges of the 21st century. And a lot of those challenges were problems in some of these Arab Spring countries that weren't being addressed by their leaders. These big ticket issues such as Iran, North Korea, the Arab Spring, the Middle East peace process. These are very intractable issues. And it's rightly so that the criticism is that there wasn't a lot of forward movement on her watch.
Was that her fault, or was that the problems that are too intractable, or was it the policies of President Barack Obama? There has been a lot of talk.
ANDERSON: No, I get that. OK, and -- you know, it's good to hear you talking about some of the things that may be part of her legacy that might resonate with many of our viewers like girls and women and equality and those sort of issues.
How, then, do you think that John Kerry will be different as U.S. Secretary of State and roving ambassador for America?
LABOTT: Well, I don't think he's going to be the kind of roving ambassador that Secretary Clinton will. I think that she was very good in terms of making an image for the United States and certainly an image for herself. I think Secretary Kerry is going to really delve into these big issues -- this is a foreign policy wonk if you will. He's been following foreign policy for the 30 years that he was in the Senate. He was on the senate foreign relations committee. He was, in fact, the kind of unofficial envoy of the Obama administration traveling to Afghanistan, traveling to Pakistan, meeting with the leaders there. If you remember, he was one of the people that tried to help the administration engage Bashar al-Assad at one point when engagement was in vogue in the administration.
And now I think what I hear from Kerry insiders is that he really wants to delve into the Middle East. He said in his confirmation hearing that he wants to do something different. And in fact we're hearing that will be one of his first trips, official trips as secretary, perhaps traveling to Egypt and Israel mid-February.
ANDERSON: Elise, always a pleasure. Thank you for that. Elise Labott in Washington for you. Our top story tonight.
Now the action is over. It's Hillary Clinton's words as outgoing secretary of state that resonate in what was her very last speech in the job. In the past hour she said she'd miss it, but says she is confident the country is stronger, safer, and better.
Well, this on a day the world witnessed violence once again in a post- Mubarak Egypt.
And a suicide attack on the U.S. embassy in Turkey, a sober reminder of the global threats her successor faces.
You're watching Connect the World live from London. I'm Becky Anderson.
In the wrong place at the wrong time, people plunge 30 meters when a firework truck explodes on a bridge in central China.
The Muslim vigilante groups popping up in Europe's cities dolling out their version of local policing.
And less work, more play. We'll talk about the merits of a four day work week later in the show. All that and much more after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: You're with CNN. This is Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson. Welcome back.
Now tonight, the feel good factory it seems is alive and well. On Wall Street the Dow climbing back above 14,000. It's the first time since October 2007. Do you remember those dark, dark days of the backend of 2007? Well, stronger 2012 U.S. job growth did the trick today, but the question remains are these pre-layman levels built to last?
Well, CNN's Alison Kosik joins us now from the New York Stock Exchange.
This was always a key psychological level, of course. I mean, broken through 14,000. Is it like -- can the Dow sustain these levels do you think?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And that's really a good question. And that really is the deciding question, especially when you think about the next level, Becky. The next level everybody is going to be watching is for that all-time high of 14,164.
But even looking at the Dow closing today, over 14,000. Some say it's not a big deal. Others say yes it is. It's a milestone. And it's a good milestone, because it shows that the economy is bouncing back after the depths of the recession in 2007.
One economist that we talked with said this is a good sign for the future.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEREMY SEIGEL, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA PROFESSOR: I think that this predicates and improvement in our economy in 2013 that's a signal that at least investors in the market think that the economy is going to grow at a decent rate this year. But certainly it doesn't mean that we're anywhere back to where we were in 2007.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: So yes, there are the bulls and there are the bears. And the bears, Becky, say that this market is just a correction waiting to happen, that it is not built on real economic growth, especially when you look at GDP, the last quarter of last year. When you look at the jobs market, even though it's showing improvement, it's not robust. And the economist tells me, even with the Fed propping up the market, many naysayers to this market right now are saying that they want to see the market be able to sort of act on its own.
But one thing that both the bulls and the bears can agree on is that when you see that 14,000 number up in lights there on the board, it certainly builds confidence for Americans -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Thank you, Alison. I say put your wallet under the mattress, but I'm not a risk taker. Thank you.
EuroZone unemployment held steady last month. The EU December jobless rates stand at 11.7 percent, that's the same as the previous month. So expectations of a rise to about 11.9. When that didn't materialize there was a -- I guess a general relief that a bad situation hasn't gotten any worse. The European commission says around 18.7 million people, though, are out of work across the EuroZone.
Well, the president of France is headed to Mali this weekend where French troops along South African forces have been battling Islamist militants for three weeks. President Francois Hollande plans to visit the ancient city of Timbuktu recently freed by French and Malian armies. France is more than 2,000 troops in Mali with another thousand supporting the operations from elsewhere.
Well, rescue workers in central China are searching for survivors after a truck carrying fireworks exploded on an expressway bridge. State media say at least eight people have been killed. Now this blast collapsed a big chunk of the bridge in Henan Province, sending at least 25 vehicles plunging 30 meters to the ground. The tragedy struck as China celebrates the lunar New Year, one of its most important holidays.
Well, tears and pageantry for Cambodia's late King Norodom Sihanouk. The cold casket carried a gilded chariot. Tens of thousands of mourners poured into the capital of Phnom Penh earlier today to say farewell to the 89 year old leader who has been lying in state since his death in October. He played a major role in shaping Cambodia in the 20th century.
He abdicated the throne twice and pushed for Cambodia's independence which it achieved in 1953.
Well, live from London, this is Connect the World. Coming up, two brothers face off to claim one of the biggest trophies in American sport. Don Riddel with the details up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: You're watching Connect the World live from London. Welcome back.
Now it's Super Bowl weekend in the United States. Just over 48 hours until kickoff between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens. Don Riddell joining us now.
It's always a party atmosphere in New Orleans even without the Super Bowl in town. But off the pitch, even before the game has begun it seems the commissioner of the NFL not exactly feeling the love from the locals. What's going on there?
DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I don't think he's feeling the love at all. And this would be a great time to be in New Orleans. It's pretty much a month of Mardi Gras, because there's that going on and the Super Bowl as well all at the same time.
But, you know, the people in New Orleans were really thinking that this was going to be the ultimate time for them, because the Saints really fancied their chances coming into this season, but then of course there was the bountygate scandal. And remember the NFL commission Roger Goodell got involved in all of that, handed out some punishments, one of which -- or at least the most severe of which -- was a season long ban for the Saints coach Sean Payton. The Saints ended up having a pretty miserable season. They missed the playoffs. Remember they could have been in the Super Bowl in their own city, which is the first time that ever would have happened. But of course the bountygate scandal meant it didn't. And you're looking now at posters all over the city in restaurants and bars saying do not serve this man.
I'm sure Roger Goodell hasn't gone hungry in New Orleans this week, but it's an indication of how the people in the town feel about what went on a year ago.
Meanwhile it remains an absolutely fabulous occasion. I was saying in World Sport earlier that I can't remember a Super Bowl as hyped as this. And I think one of the main reasons is the historic angle, the two brothers, the Ravens John Harbaugh and the 49ers Jim Harbaugh, two brothers who only have 15 months between them, are now going head to head in the first ever Super Bowl.
They had the first ever joint coaches Super Bowl press conference. There they are on stage with their mom and dad. And I mean, I've got two young boys, Becky, as you know. I can't imagine how proud I would be as a parent if my two boys were going head to head in the Super Bowl.
And of course you'd want the game to finish in a tie, that's not going to happen. And Mr. and Mrs. Harbaugh, Becky, have said that they will be spending more time with whichever brother is on the losing side after this game, because of course they're going to need a bit of a consolation.
By the way, I just want to give you a quick promo of a big show we have coming up to mark this game. You can join us live on the eve of the big game. It's called kickoff in New Orleans. It's the CNN/Bleacher Report special airing on Saturday night at 9:00 pm London time, 10:00 if you're in Berlin and 1:00 am in you're in Abu Dhabi. Only of course on CNN, Becky.
ANDERSON: Excellent.
All right, before that, then, because there will be a lot of analysis ahead of the game of course. I want your take on proceedings. What do you think?
RIDDELL: Well, I'm going to go for the 49ers. I believe that the general consensus is that they are just going to edge it by a few points. But I really like their quarterback Colin Kaepernick. He's come from nowhere this season. He's got a great all around game. And so for that reason alone I'm going with the 49ers, but you know, I think it really is a toss-up.
ANDERSON: All right. 49ers by about four points you were telling me earlier on today. I'll hold you to that. If I lose, you owe me a drink.
Before I lose you this evening, let's do a bit of golf. Phil Mickelson -- I think they're in Arizona at the moment, aren't they, for the Phoenix Open -- tied a career best on the PGA Tour. He's got some mixed emotions about this, though. Why?
RIDDELL: If by mixed emotions you mean disappointed, crushed, mortified, heartbroken, then I suppose there are mixed emotions for Phil Mickelson. These are his words. You know, average golfers like me and you dream of a hole in one, professionals dream of a different number, a 59. And that's how close Mickelson was going sub-60. Only five golfers in the PGA Tour, Becky, have ever shot a 59. Mickelson thought he'd done it at the end of his first round there. This was his 18th hole. And my goodness, he was close.
He had an incredible round. As you say, a 60, I mean, that ties his best round on the PGA Tour. He actually did that here in Phoenix a few years ago, but it wasn't to be. It wasn't a 59.
You know he said there's not that much of a difference between shooting a 60 and a 61, both are great rounds, but he said there is a huge difference between a 59 and a 60. He described it as a Berlin Wall sized difference between a 59 and a 60. And I think that one is going to haunt him for a very long time. He'll probably never get that close again to shooting a sub-60 round.
ANDERSON: Don, I played this course. Ask me what I shot?
RIDDELL: Oh, what did you shoot, Becky?
ANDERSON: 159, I promise you.
(LAUGHTER)
RIDDELL: All right. So it was a sub-160. So it was a 159 right.
ANDERSON: She was a hero on the day. Thank you, sir.
Don's back at half past the next hour.
Before the Ravens and 49ers meet in the Superdome for Super Bowl 47, join us for what we've been digging up for you. Kickoff in New Orleans a CNN/Bleacher Report special as Don was saying Saturday night 9:00 in London, 10:00 in Berlin and if you're watching in Abu Dhabi it'll be 1:00 in the morning.
Well, the latest world news headlines are just ahead. Plus, when cultures collide. We'll meet the Muslim patrols policing London's streets who implement their own brand of morality.
The rise of the three day weekend. We're going to tell you which African nation is giving its workers an extra day off.
And a new London icon. You're going to get a sneak preview of the new (inaudible).
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back. These are your headlines on CNN.
The outgoing US Secretary of State says she is more optimistic about the world now than she was four years ago. Hillary Clinton gave a farewell address to the State Department on Friday, her last day on the job. She's being replaced by John Kerry.
An investigation is being carried out after a suicide bomber attacked the US embassy in Ankara. A guard was killed and a journalist was wounded. She is still in critical condition. The suspect has been identified as a member of a leftist group banned in Turkey.
Medics tell CNN at least one person was killed in clashes tonight in Cairo. Anti-government demonstrators rallied outside the presidential palace. Some were throwing petrol bombs and rocks over the walls. Riot police fired teargas and water cannons at the crowd.
And the Dow is headed back above 14,000. That's a milestone that the index hasn't seen in more than five years. US stocks rallied on Friday when stronger jobs numbers for 2012 boosted confidence in the world's biggest economy.
Many of us live in an increasingly diverse world. In the latest UK census, for example, 13 percent of people living in England and Wales said they were born outside of the United Kingdom. Well, that can bring a delicate balancing act in communities with very different backgrounds, of course.
Dan Rivers reports on the small number of Muslim vigilantes that may be threatening the cultural status quo in Britain.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN RIVERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Whitechapel in East London, a hard-line vigilante group is trying to impose Sharia Law on unsuspecting members of the public.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Muslim area! OK? Alcohol bad! This is a Muslim area!
RIVERS: It's not just drinkers being targeted.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yo yo yo yo you're a gay mate! Get out of here, mate! Get out of here, you fag!
RIVERS: And women wearing skirts above the knee are also being harassed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You cannot dress like that in Muslim area!
RIVERS: Only a handful of men are involved in the self-styled patrols. Five have been arrested on suspicion of harassment, but we joined others who haven't been picked up by the police. These men claim they're simply tackling drunken behavior where alcohol's already banned from the streets. But they do share many of the same hard-line beliefs as those arrested.
ABDUL MUHID, MUSLIM PATROL: Alcohol is causing so much problems in the area. In fact, it's blighting the area. It causes crime, it causes people misbehaving and drunken and disorderly behavior.
RIVERS (on camera): Would you condemn, then, the more intimidating patrols where they seem trying to be impose Sharia Law in a part of London?
MUHID: I'm not here to condemn or condone anyone's action. What I'm here to say is that there's a problem.
RIVERS: Those doing these patrols are reveling in the media spotlight, but actually, the number of people involved is very, very small. The vast majority of Muslim people living in this part of East London want nothing to do with vigilantes whatsoever.
RIVERS (voice-over): At the local mosque, Muslim leaders are appalled and have condemned the patrols, which they say are stirring up hatred.
SALMAN FARSI, EAST LONDON MOSQUE: It has done a huge amount of damage to the Muslim community, and it's no doubt going to increase Islamophobia.
RIVERS: Police patrols in the area have been stepped up as the authorities take a tough line.
WENDY MORGAN, DCI, METROPOLITAN POLICE: We will not accept such behavior. It's unacceptable.
RIVERS: But Britain isn't the only country struggling to contain such behavior. In Denmark, an Islamist from another so-called Muslim patrol stands menacingly outside a polling station, vowing to stop Muslims voting.
In Belgium, these extremists want existing Sharia courts, which handle family matters, to be expanded to cover criminal matters, including un- Islamic behavior in Muslim areas. And in Lleida, Spain, hardline Salafis groups have angered locals by demanding pet dogs are banned from public transport and Muslim neighborhoods. Several dogs have been poisoned.
Leading British Muslims, like Baroness Warsi, have warned their communities need to integrate better into wider society to stop extremism. In a speech in November, she said, "We've been treating our communities like foreign embassies, where rules from abroad apply and wider society keeps well out of it. And for too long, cultural sensitivities have often led our leaders to become morally blind.
But there is evidence that the lack of integration is partly because in many cities across Europe, white people are moving away from ethnically mixed neighborhoods.
ERIC KAUFMAN, PROFESSOR, BIRKBECK COLLEGE: Even without many whites consciously fleeing, you can get a change that's quite dramatic in the character of an area, so here in London, between 20 or 2001 and 2011, an areas like Barking and Dagenham, a third of the white British population has left.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Muslim patrol! Move away from the mosque!
RIVERS: Enormous demographic changes resulting in profound challenges, like the so-called Muslim patrols, which the communities themselves are now trying to tackle.
Dan Rivers, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPAE)
ANDERSON: Well, one of the most culturally diverse parts of the UK is Manchester to the north of London. That's where Mohammed Shafiq joins me from now. He's the founding member of the Ramadhan Foundation, a group aimed at fostering interfaith dialogue, especially amongst young people. Sir, thanks for coming on. I know we've spoken before --
MOHAMMED SHAFIQ, RAMADHAN FOUNDATION: Good evening, Becky.
ANDERSON: You've seen the report. Is this sort of vigilantism common amongst Muslim communities in the UK and, indeed, across Europe, as far as you're concerned?
SHAFIQ: No, I don't think they are. I think these are a handful of people, and Dan Rivers' report, there -- sets the picture very clearly that there's a handful of people out of 2 million or 3 million Muslims who are causing havoc.
Let me be very clear: there is only one law in this country, and that's the British law. And the only people that can patrol the streets and make sure the streets are safe are the police and the authorities or the neighborhood watches.
Anybody who is harassing people, citizens of this country, in the way that we've seen in East London, is not acting in the name of Islam or Muslims. And as Muslims, we abhor that and we reject their extremism, as we reject the extremism from the far right.
ANDERSON: How does the Muslim community deal, then, with characters like that if, indeed, you say that they reject them?
SHAFIQ: Well, I think what has happened over the last few days since this story broke, you've seen imams and you've seen Muslim organizations like the Ramadhan Foundation, speak out and really take on these extremist groups.
This is not the first time these extremists have shown their ugly head in East London or in other parts of the country, but we must confront them, and we confront them through ideals, through debates, and discussion, and show the British Muslim community that what they are engaged in, they're not doing that in the name of Islam or Muslims, and they are --
The flip side, if you like, Becky, is that they're no different from the extremist far right, the EDL and the British National Party --
ANDERSON: Sure.
SHAFIQ: -- in this country who are trying to push British people, English people, away from the mainstream. We've got some lunatics on the margins of our society, our community are involved in that.
ANDERSON: And widely rejected by most of the communities here in the UK as well --
SHAFIQ: Absolutely.
ANDERSON: -- and you make a very good point. This debate, I guess, still comes down to a sort of fairly basic conflict between on the one hand, the rights of individuals to dress and -- adhere to a religion as they see fit and the other to all of us respecting people's cultures and values. Doesn't it -- have we got the balance right here in the UK, do you think?
SHAFIQ: I think we have. We've got individual religious freedom, so people are free to practice their faith within the confines of British law. So, people like myself, as Muslims, we can pray publicly.
Only recently, we had the celebration of the birthday of the prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him, and you saw marches across the country, and this was an expression of our Muslim faith. And these sort of things happen.
And yes, there are sometimes when we feel there are difficulties between communities, but what we cannot allow to do is the extremists who pull the mainstream of our society apart. And I believe that the balance is right.
But clearly, as we are going through these difficult times in our country since September 11th, we've seen an increased level of attacks, both verbal and physical, against Muslims. And so, Muslims in a sense are double victims.
We are having to deal with the aftermath of terrorist attacks and the attacks on our community, and then we have some lunatics, as we've seen in East London, who try to create this friction and division, which I totally abhor and reject.
ANDERSON: Mohammed, let me ask you this one question, because I think we're probably around the same age. Forgive me if you're slightly younger than me. You probably are, in fact. But we were wrong about the --
(CROSSTALK)
SHAFIQ: I'm feeling good -- I'm feeling good if I'm the same age as you, Becky.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: We're about --
SHAFIQ: You're still looking good.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: Thank you. We're about the -- we're all the same generation. I just want to reconsider the -- Dan's report and everything you've just said and where things stand now compared to where things stood after 9/11 and that sort of decade of change that we've seen.
When you think back to being a kid, here, a youngster, a teenager, how have things changed for you in Britain?
SHAFIQ: Obviously, I'm appearing on TV channels like yourselves, I've got a high profile, and that sometimes does cause people to make threats and abuse towards me.
But if I'm traveling on the Tube in London or here in Manchester on trains, people look twice at you. There are people subjected to on a daily basis verbal and physical abuse because they happen to be Muslims, and in some cases, they're not even Muslims, they're Sikhs, as we've seen in the United States.
So, times are tough, and I think politicians and the media have to behave more responsibly when they're reporting on issues. And I think it's very, very important. But extremists from all sides within the Muslim community and within the wider society want to rip apart communities, and we must not let them succeed in that.
ANDERSON: You always make a lot of sense. Thank you, sir. Out of Manchester this evening for you, Mohammed Shafiq.
You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD live from London. Coming up, as the number of Syrian refugees edges closer to three quarters of a million, I meet one of Syria's more famous exiles, author Nihad Sirees. That up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: What is known as the annual Munich Security Conference is now underway in Berlin, and this year, the conflicts in both Mali and Syria are likely to dominate the agenda. Hundreds of top diplomats and defense experts from around the world are taking part, including US vice president Joe Biden, who stopped off for talks with the German chancellor, Angela Merkel.
Well meanwhile, Moscow downplaying talks of rumored -- sorry, let me say that again. Downplaying talks rumored to be taking place with Syria's opposition. Russia has been one of Syria's -- the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad's, last remaining allies.
Well, this crisis in Syria continues to reach new levels of misery. The UN says there are now more than 700,000 refugees, that's a quarter -- three quarters of a million, and aid agencies are warning of a growing humanitarian catastrophe.
Author Nihad Sirees knows all too well what it's like to leave behind his beloved country after his writing was banned in Syria. Earlier, I spoke to him about his novel, "The Silence and the Roar," which has just been translated into English.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIHAD SIREES, AUTHOR, "THE SILENCE AND THE ROAR": "Loud, ghastly noise is emanating from these musical instruments that, upon the orders of the conductor, will soon play the most beautiful melodies in unison."
"I continue dreaming of noise throughout the night. When I finally wake up, my ears hurt, my head is heavy, and my room drones in street noise."
(CROWDS SHOUTING)
ANDERSON: The story is about -- it's about tyranny. "The Silence and the Roar." Just explain the significance of the title.
SIREES: My hero here in the book, he was living in silence because they asked him to keep silent or to be -- to make noise about the leader. They want noise to be full everywhere, quiet maybe it's dangerous, because people will sit and think, and this is very bad for any dictatorship.
I didn't write -- in names which country or which leader I meant in this book.
ANDERSON: But the parallels are quite remarkable.
SIREES: Everyone who read the book said that, "You are talking about Syria."
ANDERSON: Were you?
SIREES: This is my role as a writer. It's very important that literature talks about these problems early -- very early.
ANDERSON: You've chosen to leave your hometown of Aleppo. You've chosen not to be silenced.
SIREES: I had to talk. Just to keep silent.
ANDERSON: And what do you want to say now?
SIREES: I want to say that what is going on in Syria is -- is very dangerous, not only for Syrians. The state is collapsing.
(EXPLOSIONS)
(PEOPLE SHOUTING)
SIREES: There were some peaceful demonstrators going to the street to say, "Stop killing."
(CROWD SHOUTING)
SIREES: No one thought about to make a revolution. And step by step, we have -- we have demonstrations and killing. And this is a cycle, and we reached this step.
ANDERSON: How does it make you feel now when you see pockets of what the West would call insurgents, militants, al Qaeda elements, fighting under the guise of the opposition in Syria? Does that worry you?
SIREES: Of course. Peaceful demonstrators, they need someone to help them to stop killing, and when the government started to use the army, there are many will not agree for killing, and they will --
(EXPLOSIONS)
SIREES: Our people believe in God. And this is good. But when they start to think that they are a law, and only God's with them, this is the problem. They fight with God's name because no one cares.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Wise words. Coming up after this short break on CONNECT THE WORLD, could a shorter working week boost productivity? Trot that out. We're going to weight out the pros and cons, up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: All right, a question to you. How would you like to have a three-day weekend all year around? Well, it seems like a dream, doesn't it? But for many workers in the West African nation of Gambia, it is now a reality.
The president has declared a four-day working week for the country's public sector workers. He want Gambians to dedicate Fridays to prayer and socializing in the predominately Muslim country.
Well, reducing the working week is all very well, but is it affordable? Well, Gambians may not be the hardest workers in the world, but last year, their economy did grow by 5.5 percent, so maybe there's some slack in the system there for them.
On the other end of the scale, South Koreans spend the most time on the job, averaging 51 hours a week, yet growth there is just 1.5 percent.
Similarly, Greeks -- get this -- put in around 43 hours a week, yes. There's little reward, though, with the economy contracting by almost 7 percent -- you know that -- in 2012.
Mexicans also among the hardest workers in the world, but it does, though, seem to be paying off there, with their GDP sitting at 3.3 percent.
Since 2010, the New Economics Foundation has been pushing for a 21- hour working week in the United Kingdom. It argues working fewer hours helps fuel economic growth and is better for the environment.
Well, author Laura Vanderkam has written a book about time management and getting the most out of your working week. She joins me now from Philadelphia.
You're not a proponent of the 21-hour working week, are you? It would be great, but surely that's going to far.
LAURA VANDERKAM, AUTHOR: I think it is going a little too far. What Gambia did was great. By having a four-day work week, you cut down on commuting time. And commuting is just a waste. No one likes to commute. It's probably also going to save energy costs. But they're actually four ten-hour days, so they're not actually working any fewer hours.
The thing with a 21-hour work week is that there are actually returns to scale the more hours you work. Very few people could do as much in 21 hours as they could in 40 no matter how productive we think we are.
There's a reason that full-time work tends to pay more, even per hour, than part-time work. You become better at what you do the more you do it.
ANDERSON: OK, I'm just noting this for my bosses as a write myself a draft of my 21-hour working week for next week.
VANDERKAM: That proposal's not going to go --
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: I don't think it's going to go down very well. Listen, I'm just wondering, with all this talk about how long we officially work a week, whether this all is a little bit redundant these days, isn't it? I know that my working day here is extended by some hours through my smart devices that I'm accessible on pretty much 24/7. And so much of what we do these days is ofttimes not done in the office, is it?
VANDERKAM: That's exactly right. One of the reasons people feel so time-stressed these days is that they are constantly tethered to their smart devices. But the reality is, if you have people log their time, keeping track of how many hours they're working, most full-time workers do work between 35 and 45 hours a week. We may think it feels like 80, but it's really fewer hours than that.
There seems to be a real sweet spot right around 40 hours a week where people feel they're getting a lot done.
ANDERSON: It's a tough one, isn't? I was just sitting here thinking as you were talking how many businesses that I know that are run, for example, by friends of mine and colleagues elsewhere who would put up with their staff, really, in a cyclical downturn coming in for any less hours than they are at present.
It is interesting when the Gambia institutes a reduced working week like this in this economic cycle, that -- the rest of us aren't just saying what on Earth are they doing? It does seem -- it does seem ironic, doesn't it, at this stage?
VANDERKAM: Well, certainly you've seen work weeks naturally reduced during the recession because employers cut back on hours. And it's interesting that this foundation is pushing the 21-hour work week as a good thing, given how many workers would like to add to their hours these days because the want to work -- earn more. That's just the problem with it.
The good news for all of us, though, is that even working 40 hours a week does leave a fair amount of time for a personal life. The math I always do for people is that there's 168 hours in a week, and if you work 40 and sleep 8 per night, so that's 56 total in a week, that still leaves 72 hours for other things.
ANDERSON: Oh!
VANDERKAM: So, there is time to have family and personal lives.
ANDERSON: Yes.
VANDERKAM: You just have to look for the time.
ANDERSON: Seventy-two hours of socializing for those regular weeks, and an extra, apparently, 12 or so for Gambians these days. I hope they enjoy it. Good stuff. Laura, thank you very much, indeed.
All right, I want to get you back just before we close out this hour here on CNN to our top story this evening, the violence in Egypt, and some video that we have just received here into CNN.
It appears to show a man being beaten by police and was captured live on Egyptian television. I want to warn you that I'm going to show this, but it isn't easy to watch. I'm going to play it out now for a few moments. Here it is.
(SILENT VIDEO CILP)
ANDERSON: And again, you're looking at video posted on YouTube from a private Egyptian news channel. It appears to show a man half undressed being hit several times with a baton and bare fists by police outside of Egypt's presidential palace.
This was likely filmed by a static camera or other camera positioned in a building near to the presidential palace. As I mentioned, this was actually broadcast live on two Egyptian networks.
It's one of -- an example of just how daylong protests in Egypt turned violent again on Friday, demonstrators marching on the presidential palace were met by riot police, teargas, and water cannons. Protesters responding with rocks and Molotov cocktails. Authorities say at least 30 people were injured in the clashes, I'm afraid.
I'm Becky Anderson, that was CONNECT THE WORLD this Friday evening. Whatever you are doing, have a good one. From the team here in London, it's a very good evening.
END
