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Connect the World
French Court Set to Rule on Burkini Ban; In Italy, Emergency Workers Comb Rubble for Survivors; Canadian Refuge Seeks to Heal Sex Trafficking Victims; Young Voters Talk Politics; "World's Worst Zoo" Closing. Aired 11:00a-12:00p ET
Aired August 25, 2016 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:17] BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: Moments of hope as Italy scrambles to help earthquake survivors and search for those who weren't so lucky.
We're live in Italy for more in just a moment with reports from two to of the worst affected towns.
Also ahead this hour...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP
DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They are illegal immigrants. They have got to go out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Roll back on that once familiar refrain. Donald Trump signals a shift on immigration. I'll ask some young Democrats and
Republicans here in New York what they make of it.
Plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENITIFIED MALE: Should tell women what they wear or what they shouldn't wear.
A simple swimsuit, or a symbol of enslavement as the Burkini controversy deepens, I'll talk to a campaigner who says Muslim women's
identity shouldn't be narrowed down to one garment.
I'm Becky Anderson. Welcome to Connect the World. We're in New York all this week.
Right now I am in a windy Battery Park City at the very tip of Manhattan.
Well, in central Italy the ground continues to roll and the danger from Wednesday's earthquake is far from over. (inaudible) rescue workers
scramble to find any remaining survivors buried underneath the rubble. Well, time is running out. The death toll now stands at 241people.
Thousands are homeless.
Fred Pleitgen joins me live from the town of Amatrice, among the hardest hit by the earthquake.
Fred, what impact do these aftershocks having on rescue efforts?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I mean the aftershocks really are a major problem here on the ground. You know,
Becky, about two hours ago there was one major aftershock that we witnessed here where the ground really started to shake very
violently. And the aftermath of that, what happened was that here in Amatrice, which by all accounts
is the worst-hit town here in this area another building collapsed.
And then in some of the other buildings that had been damaged, where there were rescue crews on hand sifting through the rubble, in many cases
also still looking for survivors, those rescue crews obviously had to run to safety as fast as possible, which isn't something that's very easy to do
when one of these major aftershocks hit.
And just a couple of minutes ago, we actually just moments ago we found out that aftershock alone that we just witnessed in itself was a 4.1
magnitude earthquake that once again has hit this region.
And it has been a recurring theme ever since we got here, about 37, 38 hours ago when this earthquake hit is that there has been a number of
aftershocks, the strongest one that's been measured so far has been 5.5 on the Richter scale. But I can tell you we were woken up several times
throughout the night last night by other aftershocks that happened.
And of course, on one hand it is a major impediment to the rescue operations that are going on here. But on the other hand, of course, it
also makes it far less likely that any more survivors might be found underneath the rubble.
The rescue crews here, I have to say, are really doing a great job trying to search for people. They are not giving up. They are moving on.
They say they are going to work throughout the entire night. They have a lot of heavy equipment now, also a lot of search-and-rescue dogs as well.
But they also know that with every minute that goes by the likelihood of finding people alive starts to dwindle, Becky.
ANDERSON: That's right. And of course the light will fade in the hours to come.
Fred, do we roughly know how many people are still unaccounted for at this point?
PLEITGEN: It is a very tough question, and one that the authorities here say they can't really answer. The reason for that is that this is a
very popular tourist destination, especially in these months right now. It's not necessarily from overseas tourists who may go to hotels and
register there.
But also it's family isits as well. There is a lot of people who come for instance from Rome, but also from other large Italian cities. They
come here to this place because it's up in the mountains, the climate is very fair. It's not as oppressively hot as it would be in places like Rome
at this time of year.
And so they believe that there might be people who are over for family visits and it really isn't clear how many people were actually in these
towns inside these houses. So very difficult for them to give a rough estimate.
So far we know the death toll stands. We know that the authorities say they believe it could very well further rise. And we know that they've
said that they believe at least 1,000 people so far have been displaced by all this. Very difficult, however, for them to say how many people might
actually still be missing at this point in time. That's also one of the reasons why the rescue efforts, the search and rescue efforts, are really
still going on at a very high pace, Becky.
[11:05:15] ANDERSON: Fred Pleitgen reporting for you. Fred, thank you.
I want to get you now to two crucial front lines in the blistering fight against ISIS, and get you on the ground in northern Iraq in just a
few moments.
But first, Turkey has won a key victory just across its border with Syria. We are taking the town of Jarablus from ISIS. It sent tanks and
special forces to assist Syrian rebels in what was a lightning fast push to get the militants out.
It is crucial because this was the last major ISIS stronghold anywhere along the Syrian/Turkish border.
Let's get reaction, then, from CNN's Ben Wedeman who is along that border today for you.
And Ben, what is the scene where you are?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORREPSONDENT: Well, we are just about a kilometer and a half from the Syrian/Turkish border. I'm going to step
out of the way, so you can get a better look. There is that line of trees you see in the mid distance. About 200 meters behind that is
the Syrian border. And just beyond that is the town of Jarablus, which yesterday Free Syrian Army fighters with Turkish tanks, Turkish special
forces, provided with air cover by not only Turkish F16s, but also by U.S. aircraft were able to retake the town of Jarablus.
As you mentioned, it is the last point that ISIS has on the Turkish/Syrian border, so it's of great significance strategically
speaking.
Now, we understand that the FSA, along with the Turkish tanks, were able to take the town with relatively little fighting. It appears that
ISIS simply disappeared, left the area. We know that one FSA fighter was killed, three were wounded.
Now, there's not many civilians left in Jarablus. There are a few, and a few are coming back. But at this point, except for the presence of
the Turkish forces and the FSA fighters, it is essentially a ghost town.
We did hear just a little while ago a loud explosion and saw a plume of smoke. We were told that that was some sort of ISIS explosive device
that was being deactivated or neutralized.
But for the most part it is relatively quiet here. We did hear some gunfire about an hour ago, but that appeared to be more celebratory gunfire
than an exchange of fire.
ANDERSON: So briefly, Ben, a quick victory then for these Turkish- backed rebels. What is next in their sights?
WEDEMAN: That's a very good question. Because we did hear from a Turkish official, a senior Turkish official yesterday who requested
anonymity that one of Turkey's goals in this current operation is to create what they described as a terror-free zone, which sounds to me a lot like a
buffer zone. That has been one of the Turkish expressed desires or goals for quite some time in northern Syria.
And of course it's a very simply a complicated situation on the ground. The Syrian forceds that went in are Turkish-backed Free Syrian
Army. One of the things they're trying to prevent is the further expansion of territory controlled by the YPG, which is of course the Syrian Kurdish
militia that's affiliated with the PKK, the Kurdish Workers Party, which the Turks consider to be a terrorist organization.
The Turks are almost as concerned, if not more so, about the growing influence and strength of the YPG as opposed to ISIS. In fact, ISIS
controlled Jarablus for two and a half years and the Turks didn't do anything.
We did hear from another Turkish official today that in fact Turkey was planning an operation in Jarablus last year, but they had some
disagreements with the Americans, and after the shooting down by Turkey of a Russian jet in Syria in November, that they shelved those plans
altogether.
Now the Turkish-backed incursion into Syria is something that the United States expressed by Joe Biden, the U.S. vice president, in Ankara
yesterday, is something that they support, and they are providing logistical support or rather air cover so to speak.
ANDERSON: Right.
WEDEMAN: So, the Turks going in. The question is, Becky, when are they coming out?
ANDERSON: Fascinating.
All right. A complicated situation on the ground. Ben, thank you.
Well, Turkey fighting ISIS in Syria. Then now to another front line in the fight against that terror group: Iraq.
The Iraqi military says it has completely recaptured the strategic town of Qayyara (ph) from ISIS. Its offensive all part of the push towards
liberating Mosul that we have been promised.
Senior international correspond Arwa Damon is in Iraq and she is covering the effort to retake the country's second largest city. Joining
me now live from Irbil for you.
And, Arwa, the loss of Qayyara (ph) is another blow to ISIS, this time in Iraq.
And you have been covering what is a daring the push into Mosul. Tell us more.
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Becky, it is, as you can imagine, very difficult to really get a grasp on and understand
what is happening within the city. But we have been able to piece together some information about this organization that is already making a stand
against ISIS within Mosul itself.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Operating deep within the shadows of ISIS territory in Mosul is a network so secretive, even its own
members do not know each other's identities.
The letter "M" spray painted on Mosul's walls. "M" from "Muqawama" the resistance, the message to ISIS, we are here, we are among you.
The Mosul battalions watch for weaknesses in ISIS' defenses, carrying out hit-and-run operations, or waiting for a moment to strike isolated
targets, like this checkpoint on the outskirts of the city.
This man Abu Ali is one of their liaisons.
How did the Mosul battalions even manage to initially organize themselves?
ABU ALI, MOSUL BATTALLION LIAISON (through translator): It started as two friends who trust each other, and they would arrange to target ISIS in
a particular point.
DAMON: The same happened elsewhere, and by the end of 2014, the Mosul battalions had formed.
Their weapons are basic. What they found and hid in the city or what they snatch from ISIS.
ALI, (through translator): The roadside bombs they use, they would steal from ISIS. ISIS puts bombs in certain areas, and those who have
previous military experience would go and steal those bombs and place them where they target ISIS.
DAMON: They operate in two to three-man cells, independent of one another. No cell knows specifically of another, no fighter knows the name
of more than two others.
Abu Ali called a man he says is with the battalions in Mosul. He's speaking from orchard just outside of the city. Talking on the phone is
punishable by death.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, (through translator): We carry out assassinations, sniper operation against senior ISIS members. We target the houses that
they live in.
DAMON: Distorted voice in this video says they assassinated an ISIS fighter. The images been show what they say is the dead man's I.D., pistol
and suicide belt.
And Abu Ali said, they are providing through intermediaries intelligence and coordinates to the coalition. Here are the aftermath of a
strike they say was based on their information. And they are waiting for what they call zero hour, distributing leaflets warning ISIS its end is
coming. They are ready, ready for the day the Iraqi army breaches the city and they rally the people to rise.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DAMON: And Becky, there is also another organization that plans to mobilize during zero hour, as it is being called. They call themselves the
peace battalions. And their job is to protect the population, but also prevent widespread chaos and looting like what we saw back in 2003 during
the U.S.-led invasion of Baghdad, because even though everyone wants to see Mosul liberated from
ISIS, they say they have to mitigate the consequences of the fighting. They need to try to mitigate the civilian deaths that are caused. They
need to try to mitigate damage done to the city itself.
ANDERSON: Arwa Damon is in Iraq for you.
You are watching Connect the World.
Still to come, immigration, and the politics of identity: we see how these issues are playing into the U.S. presidential race.
And you are going to get some perspective of some Republican and Democratic student activists right here with me in New York. Do stay with
us. We'll be back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:17:03] ANDERSON: Live from New York, you are watching CNN. This is Connect the World, with me, Becky Anderson. Welcome back.
No more deportation force, no more kicking out all 11 million undocumented immigrants, no more stripping U.S. citizenship from babies
born to those immigrants in America.
Donald Trump, it seems, has dropped all mention of those campaign promises as he courts minority voters here. It appears to be a major shift
in a fundamental part of his platform.
Trump meeting today with Latino and black activists in New York. He has riled up crowds for
months with talk on -- tough talk on immigration, calling the U.S. the dumping ground of the word. You don't hear that kind of language now.
Trump's even suggesting some undocumented immigrants can remain in the U.S., pledging to work with them. His campaign insists it's not a policy
shift, but no one can dispute the change in tone.
Well, I am so pleased to announce I have got a special panel here to talk about these issues, representing both sides of the aisle. Four
students joining us today, Drew Weber is senior at NYU and is vice president of College Democrats there. He is also finance director of the
College Democrats of New York.
Paulo Silva goes to the Jon Jay College of Criminal Justice. He is treasurer of the New
York Federation of College Republicans. Sarah Nason is Secretary of the NYU College Democrats, and Payton Sumner is a junior at the Parsons School
of Design, co-founder and vice president of the New School College Republicans.
So, get this, they are all into politics, right?
Payton, let me start with you. Our viewers around the world, many of them will be your age
and watching in the Middle East and Asia or whatever it is, many will have felt horror at the sort of rhetoric they heard from the Republican
presidential candidate, not least on the issue of banning Muslims from this country and immigration.
He may be going softer on that stance, but do you get that horror?
PAYTON SUMNER, NEW YORK FEDERATINO OF COLLEGE REPUBLICANS: I do. I definitely get it. Basically I would approach the situation just like i
approach any other situation in my life. And I evaluate the situation, the history and then I go forward and look at see how I can move forward and
make the best decision forward.
ANDERSON: Right.
SUMNER: And what Donald Trump has been doing, you know, he is not a politician. He has never been in politics before, and something that he
did early on, you know, he said very vulgar things that we all know. And in reality, you know, those things are definitely not accepted by many
Americans, but it takes a very decisive person in order to, you know, run a nation.
ANDERSON: OK. good point.
You said he is not a politician. Sarah, that's the point so far as Trump is concerned. He doesn't want to be a politician. He is rallying
against domestic politics here and the infrastructure and those he says he says are in bed and wedded to big business here.
So, do you get -- do you understand that perhaps -- perhaps I'll put it this way, how has he gone as far as he's come?
[11:20:12] SARAH NASON, SECRETARY, NYU COLLEGE DEMOCRATS: I think a lot of people like the idea of someone coming up from behind, someone not
supported by the general mainstream -- you know, we also saw that with the Democratic Party.
And I really think that's the reason why he has so much support, because -- for me, personally, I'm from North Carolina, and so a lot of
people from North Carolina support Trump because he says things that a lot of politicians won't, because they're aligned with a certain party, aligned
with a certain group, and I really think that's the reason why.
ANDERSON: Do you believe, any you -- Paulo -- that youngsters of your age who are interested in politics are enjoying this campaign? Certainly
it's heated. We have 11 weeks to go, where is it going right and where is it going wrong as far as you are concerned?
PAULO SILVA, NEW YORK FEDERATION OF COLLEGE REPUBLICANS: I think it's going wrong where this sort of argumentation has kind of gotten way out of
hand. And I think the Millennials are really just frustrated with this. They don't know where to go. They feel like they have two options that are
truly unrepresentative of our generation. And they're really, I think, for our New York Federation of College Republicans. We are focusing on these
local elections, because we have kind of sort of lost hope in this general election.
ANDERSON: That's fascinating.
Drew, do you think youngsters are going to come out and vote? I'm thinking about Brexit where in the end the youngsters didn't get out there.
They just didn't get out. Some of them were at festivals, Glastonbury, for example. Badly timed, the Brexit vote.
But are youngsters going to get out there?
DREW WEBER, VICE PRESIDENT, NYU COLLEGE DEMOCRATS: I think we are concerned about that this election. I would say one of the driving forces
that's going to make youngsters get out to vote is just how high the stakes are.
You know, we come from one of the most diverse generations in American history. And the type of rhetoric that Donald Trump uses really doesn't
speak for our generation. When he goes out and insults Muslims and blacks and Hispanics. It turns off a significant number of young voters. And
because we are ultimately going to be the ones that inherit the Earrth, you know, we are the ones who have the most at stake.
ANDERSON: The problem is for those of who are Democrat leaning that Clinton's approval ratings are awful. Who do you vote for?
WEBER: I mean this is true that, you know, Clinton has a lot of work to do to earn the trust of younger voters. Like many of them, many people
in our club, turned out and voted for Bernie Sanders.
I think him stumping for her is going to help. And I also just think, you know, as election day comes closer and closer, people will begin to
appreciate the fact this is really a choice between absolute destruction, or maybe someone that people aren't entirely enthusiastic about, but it's going to help continue to push us in the right direction.
ANDERSON: Are you going to vote for Trump?
I am going to put you on the line here.
SUMNER: No. Not necessarily. I'm not completely on board with Trump. But I disagree with some of his values and some of his moral
activity over the past...
ANDERSON: But then as a Republican, then, what do you do?
SUMNER: Well, that's the big question. That's what the United States right now is in chaos about. I think that's why this election is so
unique, particularly because it's so diverse and we've never seen anything like it in history.
In reality, it is a moral personal decision. I don't encourage anyone to go out there and vote because they are Republican or a Democrat, you
need to vote based on your personal preference, and your own personal opinion. And that's what truly is going to bring unity to America.
All these things that people are saying constantly about, you know -- I believe, you know, that we should this or that -- it's important to like
go and vote your personal self and not just based upon an individual's points.
ANDERSON: So, if you address the audience out there. We come out of Abu Dhabi on a
regular basis in the Gulf, that's where this show is normally based. I have got lots and lots of interns working for me of your age and
youngsters, young Emiratis and other Middle Easterns, just give them a sense of where America is today and what America is.
(LAUGHTER)
NASON: OK.
I honestly think that the reason why I am proud to be a citizen of the United States is because
we are a diverse country. And at the end of the day, I'm not going to have friends who look the same and I'm not going to have friends who talk the
same, and that's something that challenges me to be a better person on a day to day basis because I'm forced to understand their perspective.
ANDERSON: Are you representative of people of your age around the country?
NASON: You know, I think I am a representative of myself. I don't think I can stand out there and say I represent this demographic because I
know that I have a different experience and a lot of people have different experiences than I do. And so to say I completely qualify every single
bullet point that one else would wouldn't be fair.
ANDERSON: So, for those, Paulo, who have concerns about what is going on as they watch this election campaign from thousands of miles away you
say what?
[11:25:06] SILVA: I say to do your own research and not rely solely on the media, to really investigate yourself and find out what the true
facts are, where were the decisions made that make this person a leader, and frankly, don't make this person a leader? And we
really need to give people a chance to become a leader. And when you have had 20 years to prove yourself of being a leader and you have failed, I
think that's a testament of being able to give someone else a chance to be a leader.
ANDERSON: Do you feel let down as an American citizen at this point in this election campaign? Do you feel unrepresented?
WEBER: There are certainly aspects of this campaign that have been discouraging, namely the rampant bigotry we have seen propagated by the
Trump campaign.
But in many ways I have a lot of hope, because I think this level of intolerance that we've seen coming from the other side has helped unite
people across race lines, across lines of sexuality, across religion and really stand up and say, no, this is not what this country is
about. We all come from different areas, ultimately at the end of the day we want to succeed as a nation. And if we want everyone to ahead, we have
to work together.
ANDERSON: Good stuff, guys. We really appreciate it.
If you are traveling through the Gulf, come and see us. And we'll put you on and you can see how this is viewed through the prism, as it were, of
the Middle East.
The latest world news headlines are ahead for you, viewers. Plus, CNN reports from an Italian village reduced to rubble by the earthquake on
Wednesday.
And what not to wear to the beach, according to French authorities. The latest on the Burkini debate is ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(HEADLINES)
[11:30:42] ANDERSON: Right. Hundreds of aftershocks have struck central Italy since a
powerful quake hit the mountainous region early on Wednesday. The rumbling is complicating efforts to find survivors and taking down more buildings in
the ancient series of villages there.
Atika Shubert now reports from St. Angelo.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Now, we are in the village of St. Angelo. About 300 people normally live here in the summer.
But as you can see it's been reduced to rubble.
Houses have just collapsed. The roofs look like broken vertebrae, the timbers splintered apart. It's eerie to be here because it's so quiet.
Nobody has returned for fear of aftershocks. And in fact just a few minutes ago we did feel another aftershock like a deep rumble here.
But what we know is that most of the residents here did survive. A mother and child, unfortunately, were killed, buried in their sleep by the
debris.
I want to point out something. You see those sheets on that balcony over there? That long sheet there was actually knotted together and
survivors were trapped inside so many of them, and many of them elderly residents had to escape using these sheets as a sort of rope ladder to get
out.
When we spoke to some of the elderly residents here, they said, frankly, they didn't know how they were going to rebuild after something
like this. It's just still so fresh in their minds, and so devastating, especially when every aftershock makes them relive the trauma of that
night.
Atika Shubert, CNN, in the village of St. Angelo in Italy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, to help those affected by the earthquake, do use CNN.com/impact. You'll find a list of verified charities working in the
region. It's a very, very useful site. I urge you to go to that.
Well, to the controversy now and the beaches of France, some towns have banned the modest swimwear dubbed the burkini, popular with Muslim
women.
There are some major complaints about that.
And today, the country's highest administrative court held a hearing on an appeal from a human rights group. Well, a verdict expected by this
time tomorrow.
An incident in Nice this week highlighted the friction over these laws. Police officers ordered this woman that you are seeing here seated
wearing the blue head scarf to remove some of their clothing right there on the beach.
Nice authorities say the officers were simply exercising their duties after the coastal town banned the full-length swimsuit that covers the
whole body, except for the face and the feet.
Take a look at this juxtaposition. @JennyHalek tweets, "police in Iran booking a woman for not being covered enough, police in France booking
a woman for being too covered."
Well, today the French prime minister weighed in on the debate over what women should and should not be allowed to wear. Mr. Valls said a,
quote, head scarf is a head scarf, a burkini is a burkini, a burka is a burka. For me it is a symbol of enslavement of women as if women in the
public space were immodest.
Well, for more on all of this, I'm joined by Saneb Zalbi, an author and the editor-at-large at Women in the World Media, also been a regular
guest on this show.
Does what the French prime minister says make any sense to you at all?
ZANEB SALBI, WOMEN IN THE WORLD MEDIA: I think it's extremely sexist, chauvinist,
patriarchal, to be honest. It's another man saying this how we have to save a woman, no different than the men he criticized for enslaving them.
It is in both cases taking the women's right for freedom.
ANDERSON: Do the recent attacks in France provide any excuse for what is clearly a very sensitive issue.
SALBI: There is a huge French population of Muslim origin, not the first generation, not the second, three generations of French-born Muslims.
They are angry. They are saying we grew up with the French values of freedom and liberty and choices. And now you're taking it away from us
just because you're uncomfortable with the way we're expressing these values.
Wearing a hijab, wearing a burkini, does not violate any security measures, does not create a security, it's actually banning it it's create
a security risk, because it exacerbates the anger.
[11:35:10] ANDERSON: Well, of course the French debate is at the sharp end of the obsession in secular society over what the hijab or the
burkini represent. There's also issues about other relgious symbols. What is less discussed is why women in majority Muslim countries choose or
choose not to wear a hijab or cover themselves. Just explain for our viewers would might not understand why it is that women in all but two
countries where it is compulsory to cover, choose to cover their heads.
SALBI: Well, at the essence of it there is a debate, whether Islam make women abide by wearing hijab or not. What Islam is about is modesty.
Some women interpret that modesty -- because also cultural interpretation, that I have to wear the -- I cover my hair. Some don't. I'm a Muslim. I
don't cover my hair and I am as equally a Muslim as the one who does wear the hijab.
So, but that's about the freedom of choice. It was -- it goes back and forth in history. Sometimes most women, sometimes most don't wear it.
Right now, we are politicizing the issue, and that's why it's so dangerous.
One, French society, one French prime minister say that, he politicizes the issue, and it gets more women wearing it out of spite and
out of making the point.
ANDERSON: So, I think this is fascinating because you pointed out that to a certain extent fashions ebb and flow. So what did your
grandmother, what did your mother -- you have told us you do. What will the kids of your family -- who is covering and who isn't? And why?
SALBI: Honestly, it's half of my family, some of them cover, some of them don't cover. We coexist with each other and it's not an issue. We
respect each other's choices. She wears a burkini, I wear the bikini, and it doesn't matter who is that.
We see it as this way. It's a woman's choice. Why can't this be seen as it. If French society wants to calm the situation, I would respect
Muslim women to wear whatever they want to wear.
I do have issues with the veil because it is a security issue. So, I understand that. Fine, the German law of banning it, that's
understandable.
But then let's let them actually express themselves and let's hear what they have to say. Maybe then we will calm the situation. Right now
we are putting fuel into fire.
ANDERSON: In Scotland -- I just want our viewers to have a sense of this. In Scotland, authorities have just recently announced, ironically,
the hijab is now an optional part of the police uniform. And the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have also adopted a new policy to allow female
Muslim officers to wear the hijab.
And you would say it's about time, too, correct?
SALBI: Absolutely. There are also women in Minnesota, police officers, wearing the hijab. This is simply no different than a Sikh man
having the right to wear his turban. This is the right to choose.
If we leave it alone -- and this is my argument, actually, leave it alone, don't make it a big
deal, it won't be a big deal. The fact that we are talking about it -- banning it, allowing it, banning it, allowing it, we are making a big deal
out of it and we're politicizing the issue.
Some women are wearing it as a political statement right now.
ANDERSON: The reason I'm talking to Zaneb today is because she has been doing an awful lot of broadcasting with a show around the Middle East
which is tackling a lot of issues that many people, both in the Middle East and around the world, might have thought were particularly controversial.
You talk to women about a lot of issues.
Across the board as you have been talking to those women over the past few months, this issue will have come up time and time again, I'm sure.
What do they tell you?
SALBI: Some of them wear it for different reasons. Some of it for freedom of mobility. Some of it for political statements. Some of them
for a fashion statement. Some of them really for pious. Some of them because their girlfriends are all wearing it and they're all wearing.
ANDERSON: Some of them because they're over the age of 40 and that is old age, correct.
SALBI: That is so true. And they said, well, I'm a modest. I'm an older woman. So they're waring it for different reasons. We are making
more big deal out of it than it is really it.
When I asked them -- I mean, I interviewed a woman wearing a veil. I was like, why are you wearing it? She's like, all my girlfriends wear it.
I wear it.
Let it be. It's her freedom to choose. That's the evolution of choices.
ANDERSON: There is a difference between those countries where there is a choice and Iran and Saudi, of course. I think we have to appreciate
that, correct.
SALBI: And Iran and Saudi are the only two Muslim countries that are actually making it obligatory.
All Muslim countries -- I'm not -- and you have women in Egypt and Jordan and Iraq and whatever, some wearing it, some not wearing it. If
they are not having a big deal out of it, actually. It's Europe and the west who is making a big deal out of it. To them, they're relaxed about
it.
As somebody tweeted today, if the burkini is banned, should a wet suit for man be banned too? I think it was...
SALBI: It's the same material as a bathing suit. It is a clean material. It's a tested material, actually. It does not do anything to
mark anybody, anybody.
You know, here's the thing, when women -- when western women go to the Middle East, they do wear a bikini in the beaches of the Mid-East, whether
in UAE, whether in Egypt, whether in Jordan, and it's not part of that culture, but that culture does respect that choice in the beaches.
Also that culture sees that as the subjugation of women, but they don't ban it. They allow it out of respect.
We need to reciprocate. For me, this is challenging western claim to freedom of values -- freedom as a value, and it's at risk of losing that
value.
ANDERSON: Always a pleasure having you on.
SALBI: Thank you.
ANDERSON: In my new office.
SALBI: I love your office.
ANDERSON: Battery Park. Thank you so much. It is a very, very important issue, and one that I think deserves an awful lot of discussion.
The creator of the burkini, by the way, says she has seen a spike in sales since France imposed a temporary ban on the full body swimsuit. The
Australian designer of the suit says lawmakers who imposed the ban don't understand its concept and that despite the odds the
ban has been actually good for business. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABODA ZANETTI, BURKINI CREATOR: my sales have increased and the more they actually ban it or the more they actually reject it, it doesn't mean a
woman will never stop wearing it.
I think they've misunderstood. I think that, you know, when we produced this it was part of integration, it was part of combining the
cultures and putting, you know, women that choose to wear this as part of any other woman if she chooses to wear a bikini.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Live from New York, you are watching Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson. Coming up for you, an alarming new threat from North
Korea. What Kim Jong-un is boasting about. That's next.
And for hundreds of years millions of us wanted to be part of it. We'll give you the dime tour of
New York. That's ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: With the Statue of Liberty behind me, you are watching CNN. This is Connect the World with me, Becky Anderson. A very warm welcome
back to New York.
Well, North Korea's leader is celebrating the test firing of a submarine-based ballistic missile. Will Ripley tells us why North Korea's
neighbors and the U.S. are so concerned.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Rising from the waters off the eastern Korean peninsula, an ominous new threat from North Korea:
the successful testing launch firing of submarine-launched ballistic missile (inaudible), meaning
Polaris, the North Star, a weapon North Korean leader Kim Jong-un says puts the U.S. and its allies within striking range of a nuclear attack.
A triumphant announcement on the North Korean news, state propaganda images claim to
show a perfect launch. Before dawn Wednesday, anxiety turns to exhileration. Kim Jong-un and his officers smiling, laughing, as they
track the missile some 500 kilometers, more than 300 miles, further than any previous attempt.
DANIEL PINKSTON, TROY UNIVERSITY: The testing and the phase of the development is very rapid.
RIPLEY: A launch attempt just last month failed. A missile fired four months ago in
April traveled just 30 kilometers, around 18 miles. Analysts believe Wednesday's missile traveled 16 times further, meaning it can strike
anywhere in South Korea, home to 50 million people, and some 25,000 American troops.
The latest launch, as U.S. and South Korean forces engage in annual military exercises, similar to these in the spring. Pyongyang used the
annual drills as a direct provocation. Troy University professor Daniel Pinkston says war games are vital to keep the peace.
PINKSTON: Looking at North Korea's capabilities, their development programs for weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems, the
rhetoric that comes out of Pyongyang, their objectives are very clear.
RIPLEY: North Korean weapons development continues at a break neck pace despite nearly
universal condemnation and unprecedented international sanctions.
PINKSTON: They will allocate resources from other areas and devote it to the missile and nuclear programs.
RIPLEY: Kim Jong-un called Wednesday's before dawn launch the greatest success and victory. Feeling the intense pressure to succeed, one
officer appears overcome with tears of joy, or perhaps relief.
Will Ripley, CNN, Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Right.
All this week, CNN's Freedom Project is looking into sex trafficking in Canada's indigenous communities. Many of the young people who fall
victim to traffickers come from remote villages. Well, in our latest report, and there's been a series of reports this year in our mission to
end modern-day slavery, CNN's Paula Newton travels to a healing lodge for survivors.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The location is hidden. This is meant to be a safe house. An actual setting evokes peace and a sense of freedom.
For months, this rural, healing lodge has sheltered Lauren Chopeck and cradles her with the love and protection she still needed.
LAUREN CHOPECK, SEX TRAFFICKING VICTIM: It was really important. If I didn't come here, I probably would have died or something. I remember
waking up some mornings like -- just really thankful that I'm not in a crappy, unsafe place in the city somewhere, that you can, like, look
outside and hear all the birds and peaceful.
NEWTON: Just 14, when she arrived Lauren had already survived a lifetime of pain. An emotionally troubled child, Lauren would at times run
away from home. Eventually, she felt victim to sexual exploitation and trafficking on the streets of Winnipeg.
The breaking point came when Lauren went missing for nine days, lured to a hotel by an older man.
CHOPECK: People used to believe me when I said I was 20 years old. Now, when I think about that, I was only 14. I looked like a freaking
child.
NEWTON: So, only now, five years later, that she realizes how vulnerable she was.
CHOPECK: When you experience sexual abuse, it's -- it's really confusing. You never know if it's your fault or is it theirs.
NEWTON: Lauren blamed herself and that made healing that much more difficult.
CHOPECK: Before I move here I used to blame myself, and even during the time I was living here I used to blame myself for everything. I would
say I let them do that to me. I am dirty. It's all my fault.
NEWTON: But here at the healing lodge named Hands of Mother Earth or HOME, Lauren says she truly came to understand that she was a victim. HOME
helped her connect with indigenous culture and promoted a spiritual path to healing that no one had ever shown her before.
CHOPECK: When you look at yourself and all you see is bad and someone else will look at you and all they see is good. This feels like my safe
place. The staff are like my family.
NEWTON: Diane Redsky is the executive director of Ma Mawi, the charity that conceived of and runs the home. She says the fact that indigenous
youth comprise the majority of sex trafficking in victims in Manitoba, means the rehabilitation programs need a special cultural and spiritual
focus.
DIANE REDSKY, MA MAWI WI CHI ITATA CENTRE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: The indigenous community is really rising up and has been the leader in the
forefront on the healing that needs to happen on looking at the prevention pieces and supporting victims.
And there is a very unique way to support victims. It's not to criminalize them anymore or to victimize them any more than they already
have been. It really is, as we say, loving them back to health.
[11:50:24] NEWTON: When she was here, Lauren embraced a traditional indigenous spirit name. She is striking eagle. And she says she's starting
to believe in what that name stands for, a person who will leave a mark on this earth.
Paula Newton, CNN, in rural Manitoba.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And tomorrow in the final report in the series from Paula, you'll hear from a prosecutor and others fighting for justice for the
victims of sex trafficking. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's no question that this is a very difficult area to prosecute for a whole number of reasons.
NEWTON: This year, she successfully prosecuted 46-year-old Darrell Ackman, sentenced to 15 years for leaving off the veils of prostitution,
making child pornography and sexual assault. Seven victims came forward, five of them children. Two committed suicide before a verdict was even
reached.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Ad more tomorrow in what is our Freedom Project series, Canada's Stolen Daughters only here on CNN.
Well, live from a windy New York today, this is Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson for you. Just ahead, we are going to pay tribute to the
city that I have called home for the last week and look at its defining role in American history.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, you are with us for the last couple of minutes of what has been a week's worth of programming out of New York. The end of
our working week, of course, Thursday, as it is in the Gulf where we are normally based.
Well, an animal rescue charity has saved the last few remaining animals from a zoo in Gaza that's been described as the worst zoo in the
world.
But as Ian Lee reports, the final occupants had an easier way out of Gaza than the people surrounding them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Over a dozen animals facing starvation and neglect in central Gaza. An ostrich paces behind the bars, a
monkey barely holding on. But these cages of suffering critters will soon be empty.
"It's the most difficult moment in my entire life watching those animals leave," says the zoo's owner.
The zoo in Gaza is closing down. Zookeepers ran into financial difficulties, struggling to purchase food and medicine with a 9-year- old
blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt. Three wars in seven years have also devastated the zoo's population.
Veterinarians from the charity For Cause evacuate the remaining animals.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Animals continue to die. It's a horrible image. To show the children just this? So we came here. We were offered to come to
rescue the animals.
LEE: Aid workers carefully tranquilize the animals. Once asleep, they move in. Next, a thorough examination is administered and then preparation
for the exodus. Of the zoo's original 92 animals, 16 remain, including a tiger.
Early Wednesday morning, the critters moved out of Gaza through the crossing into Israel in coordination with Israeli authorities.
(on camera): The animals will be divided between South Africa, Jordan and Israel.
The Israel government praised the transfer, saying that it will bring a better quality of life with proper living conditions and improved medical
care for the animals.
(voice-over): A better life only dreamed about by the 1.8 million people living in Gaza. Half the population relies on United Nations food
aid.
Leaving is nearly impossible under the Israeli and Egyptian blockade put in place after Hamas took control of the territories some 10 years ago.
The crossing into Israel requires permits and background checks, while the crossing into Egypt is hardly ever open.
For just 16 animals, it took a massive international effort of multiple countries to move them on to greener pastures.
Ian Lee, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[11:56:19] ANDERSON: All right. Just time for your Parting Shots today. And we are looking right here at New York. In classic style, this
land of deals started off with the one, the Dutch picked up Manhattan from the Native Americans for just 24 bucks. They were the first trickle of a
wave of people from across the seas. Millions gutting in to forge the new world.
And the energy never dropped. Every street here feels iconic. If you want a sign that's true,
here's one. Wall Street, who doesn't know it. Trillions of dollars slosh around there every day.
But there is more riches than just money in this cultural park. Rappers like Jay Z and (inaudible) battle for the crown in this town. And
from kings to almost presidents, it's the place Trump calls home of course, and Clinton has her own place less than an hour's drive away.
So, while their political views are different they have both checked this one out: a jungle of steel and ambition is found in the people here,
too. There is nowhere better to wake up than in the city that never sleeps.
And in a country where there has been growing fear of the new of immigration, New York is a
testament to living together.
Well, earlier this hour we brought you the perspective of four young Americans as their country prepares for this election in November that
affects not only the people here, but those of us around the world. You can see that discussion and all of the other stories that we have been
working on this week out of New York at Facebook.com/CNNconnect, that is Facebook.com/CNNconnect.
I'm Becky Anderson. That was Connect the World
END