Qatar should mind its own business

Monday's decision to cut ties with Qatar was not a surprise. It was long time coming and here's why

By Dherar Belhoul Al Falasi

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Published: Thu 8 Jun 2017, 9:49 PM

Last updated: Thu 8 Jun 2017, 11:51 PM

What happened last Monday was both foreseeable and inevitable. Over the past 22 years since the 1995 coup d'etat, Qatari politics has gone astray. Its interests no longer seem aligned with its neighbours and natural allies in the Gulf Cooperation Council.

The regime in Doha has sought alliances and partnerships in the alternative politics arena, with the likes of the Muslim Brotherhood, Al Qaeda, Taleban, Hamas, and most recently, Al Nusra and Daesh. Naturally, it is not possible for countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia to tolerate such partnerships, especially as Doha offers these groups a safe haven.

Monday's decision to cut ties with Qatar was not a surprise. It was long time coming and here's why: In May, Qatar was part of the US-Arab and Islamic Summit held in Riyadh on terror. The summit unanimously identified Iran as the regional sponsor of terrorism. Despite that Qatar shocked the region after two days when its Amir Sheikh Tamim made a statement calling Iran a brotherly country and one that 'we should maintain good relations with'. Saudi Arabia and the UAE were among the many other nations that felt betrayed. In fact, Qatar's Foreign Minister, who is also the Amir's cousin, was in Baghdad the day before for secret talks with Iran's top terrorist and commander of Quds Forces, Brigade Major General Qasem Soleimani. Qatar claims the Amir's statement was a result of a cyberattack on the official news website - a claim that hasn't been proven yet.

Qatar government has repeatedly failed to honour its obligations as a member of the GCC. The council requires its members to work for the common good of the six allied countries. Qatar, however, has interfered in Bahrain's anti-terror efforts, encouraging Iran-backed groups to perform several acts of terror against the country. In case of Saudi Arabia, Qatar encouraged destabilising activities by Muslim Brotherhood activists and harbour many convicted terrorists. Similar accounts of damaging Qatari behaviour have also been noticed in the UAE, Kuwait and Egypt.

Qatar has also launched and financed several terror-supporting media outlets that functioned as an alternative propaganda voice for many terror groups. From Osama bin Laden's video messages to the recent coming-out of Al Nusra's leader Joulani, Qatar affiliated media didn't shy from showing sympathy to these groups, justifying their actions and portraying them as legitimate opposition groups; something they are not.

As per WikiLeaks document, Qatar provided a safe haven to the 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Another WikiLeaks document showed evidence of cross border human trafficking to help infiltrate terrorists into Saudi Arabia.

The fact that Qatar has provided a regional centre and safe haven for Muslim Brotherhood is a source of concern. Also, Qatar seeks to help terrorist groups thrive everywhere they exist. From Ansar Al Sharia and its affiliates in Libya, to Jabhat Al Nusra in Syria to Al Shabaab in Somalia, Qatar's fingerprints are too clear to ignore. Even the charities in the country are being used as channels for funding terrorist organisations such as Al Shabaab.

At the time of so-called Arab Spring in 2011, Qatar tried tirelessly to stoke instability in the GCC countries in cooperation with Muslim Brotherhood conspirators. Acts of vandalism were encouraged in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait. Qatar funded media, including Al Jazeera, served as a platform to promote these acts.

There is also credible evidence of Qatar's strong relations with the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. These are the same people the Arab Alliance, which incidentally includes Qatar, is fighting against to reinstall the legitimate government. Some reports say Qatar has helped cement a de facto alliance between the Houthi rebels and Al Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula (AQAP) to fight against the Arab Alliance.

In 2014, the GCC trio (Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain) withdrew envoys in protest of all of these activities. Several months later, at a summit in Riyadh Qatar's Amir pledged to stop such suspicious activities and work on building good relations with brotherly GCC countries. Almost three years later, nothing seems to have changed.

What we demand today is very simple: a friendly, brotherly neighbour that minds its own business without hurting ours. Is that too much to ask for?

Dherar Belhoul Al Falasi is an Emirati writer

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