The leak of the secret documents pertaining to the Riyadh agreement is an act that blatantly violates the political, diplomatic and moral norms of States, especially of those that claim to be progressive,modern and civilised.
Such leaks damage the status, trustworthiness and dignity of countries regionally among its neighbours, and internationally. The political and economic credibility of the leak-source(s) are lost in the process, as is the case with the Saudi-led blockade of Qatar.
The whole world has been witnessing with disbelief the blatant measures and decisions adopted by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt (the Saudi-led bloc) against our tiny Qatar. Some aggressive steps including land-sea-air embargo, supported by a lot of media incitement have also been taken against Doha. However, Qatar has taken it upon itself and did not retaliate, nor did it stop the flow of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the UAE, despite Abu Dhabi’s unstoppable aggression. Why? It is simply because Qatar does not mix politics with morals.
To get a closer look at the state of affairs between Qatar and the blockading countries, we need to go back to some two years. The period between Doha’s approval and signing of the 2013 Riyadh agreement, and the cyber-attack on the website of Qatar News Agency (QNA) in April 2017 witnessed two Gulf summits, one in Riyadh 2015 and the other in Manama 2016.
The Riyadh summit recommendations included steps to accelerate security and military co-operation between the GCC countries to complement the security and defence system among the GCC countries, thus constituting an impenetrable fortress against external challenges facing the GCC countries and the region.
At a press conference after the summit, Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir said that the GCC leaders had tackled regional issues with “a unified political vision.” At the same conference, Secretary-General of the GCC Abdul Latif al-Zayani said that the GCC States are determined to continue to co-ordinate their efforts and accelerate the pace of co-operation and integration between them for the benefit of the Gulfcitizen.
As for the Manama summit, the outcomes included a call by Gulf leaders to speed up the work of the GCC Common Market, the Customs Union, Water Linkage and other integrated development projects, leading to the full Gulf economic unity and strengthening GCC’s status as a global financial, investment and economic centre.
The period after the Riyadh agreement also witnessed numerous meetings at the levels of interior, foreign and defence ministers and special meetings; there were also bilateral visits between the Qatari leadership and the leaders of other GCC countries. To the world’s astonishment, the outcomes of all these meetings and visits showed an absolute absence of any explicit or implicit sign of Doha’s failure or breach of the Riyadh agreement. Economic, political, and cultural relations had been just as calm as a millpond. So, what exactly happened?
It was on 24th May 2017 that the website of QNA got hacked and some false statements attributed to His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani were published. Immediately after the hack, Qatari authorities issued a statement that strongly denounced the cyber-attack on QNA and firmly denied the fake news which was published. Despite the robust denials by Doha, official media in Saudi Arabia and the UAE ran those false statements attributed to the Emir for some days, until one morning Qatar woke up on a land, sea, and air blockade by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt.
In the first place, the blockade was imposed in one of the holiest months for Muslims, the month of Ramadan. The timing itself, let alone the arbitrary act of blockade, surprised the world especially, non-Muslims. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reacted to the act and timing of the blockade, saying:
“We’re seeing shortages of food [in Qatar], families are being forcibly separated, and children pulled out of school - we believe these are unintended consequences, especially during this holy month of Ramadan, but they can be addressed immediately.”
So, the question raised here is: Where is justice in all of this? The aggressive and unjust Saudi-led blockade and the subsequent repressive measures have caused extensive and wholesome human rights abuses and violations. These actions have caused humanitarian miseries and tragedies for a lot of people: Arab and foreign TVs, websites, newspapers, and magazines have reported the story of a man whose dignity was devalued after being forced to leave his wife and children; a woman shedding tears for her children when she was forced to leave them behind in the UAE; a Qatari baby, who was denied admission to a hospital in Saudi Arabia hovering between life and death.
The arbitrary decisions of the Saudi-led bloc did not even respect Islam as a religion. Qataris performing Umrah (Islamic pilgrimage to Makkah) were asked to immediately leave the country of the Two Holy Mosques (Saudi Arabia). The reason - their being Qataris.
Even animals did not escape the arbitrary measures of the Saudi authorities who expelled Qatari-owned camels from its territory in what was described as the largest ‘barbaric camel expulsion’ in modern history! Foreign newspapers like Independent, The Telegraph, Foreign Policy magazine, Reuters news agency and many others reported the ‘deportation’ of some 20,000 camels from Saudi Arabia.
Indeed, Arab and foreign countries and international organisations such as Amnesty International and the Human Rights Organization denounced and condemned the blockading countries’ arbitrary and unjust measures, decisions, and actions against Qatar. Only days ago, The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda voiced regret over the human rights violations committed
by the Saudi-led bloc.
The Muslim Brotherhood
The recent days also witnessed a lot of talks about the Muslim Brotherhood and the alleged support provided to them by Doha, although the reality and facts reveal the opposite of these allegations. Qatar does not support the Muslim Brotherhood as a faction; Doha’s support is always directed at legitimate states and governments. Tunisia stands as a living witness to the policy adopted by the State of Qatar and its stance with states, not factions. After the Arab Spring, which ousted former Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the Islamists, led by former President Mohamed Moncef Marzouki took power in the country until they were overthrown in a democratic and fair election. After Marzouki, President Beji Kayed Sebsi took over. During the reign of the two presidents and until now, Qatar has not stopped supporting the Tunisian government.
During the reign of Adly Mansour as the interim Head of State in Egypt, Cairo received the fifth and final shipment of Qatari LNG from the port of Ras Laffan. The shipment which arrived on 12 Sept. 2013 was part of a grant ordered by His Highness the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani (then Crown Prince), to alleviate the energy crisis in Egypt.
The shipment was delivered to Egypt after the ousting of former president Mohamed Mursi and the Muslim Brotherhood government, and that is another irrefutable proof that Doha stands with states and governments. Commenting on the LNG shipment, former Qatari Foreign Minister HE Khalid bin Mohammad al-Attiyah said at a Paris news conference in August 2013 that Qatar was helping “Egypt, not the Muslim Brotherhood”.
Besides, the Muslim Brotherhood has a powerful presence in Yemen through the Yemeni Congregation for Reform (Islah), founded by tribal leader Sheikh Abdullah bin Hussein al-Ahmar, who was known for his close ties to Saudi Arabia.
According to Carnegie Center For Middle East Studies, Sheikh al-Ahmar was the “transit channel for any Yemeni political or tribal figure to Riyadh. [He was] the continuous thread of the Riyadh relationship with Sana’a since the 1960s until his death in 2007.”
The Islah party welcomed the Saudi military intervention in Yemen, known as operation “Decisive Storm,” which was followed by another Saudi “Renewal of Hope,” operation which is still trying to restore hope to the Yemenis. This business of ‘hope-restoration’ is being conducted in light of recent reports pointing to the inevitable division of Yemen into north and south, under the patronage and blessings of Abu Dhabi and via former Yemeni governor of Aden, Aidroos al-Zubaidi and former Yemeni Minister of State Hani bin Braik.
Both al-Zubaidi and bin Braik are known for their close ties to the UAE. They were both fired by Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi over their close ties with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed.
In Saudi Arabia, too, Riyadh has recently hosted meetings of The Syrian National Coalition which included members of the Muslim Brotherhood. In Jordan, the Muslim Brotherhood was founded in 1945 and it still enjoys a strong political presence, and has won membership in the House of Representatives. There are also parties and groups with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood in Lebanon, Morocco and Algeria.
Some information regarding the renowned scholar and former Muslim Brotherhood cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi is also handy at this point, the reputable preacher having been labelled ‘terrorist’ by the blockading countries. Sheikh al-Qaradawi, who is the chairman of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, has just recently received “King Faisal Award,” the highest award in Saudi Arabia.
Prior to that, he was conferred the “Islamic Personality of the Year” award, which was handed over to him by the present ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid al-Maktoum.
As for the official stance of the State of Qatar on the Muslim Brotherhood, as is clear to all, Doha does not classify this group as a terrorist outfit. Simply put, the Muslim Brotherhood and their advocates are an essential component and part of the social and societal fabric of many Arab countries. This is not to defend them; it is just an undeniable fact that needs some rational consideration. The same applies to many other currents in our Arab societies – liberals, nationalists, ba’athists, nasserists and others. Where is the logic in designating a given movement (like the Muslim Brotherhood) or a faction a ‘terrorist’ organisation if its thinking does not match ours?
Demand for closing Al Jazeera and its media affiliates
If one takes a closer look at the official media of the siege nations, one can easily notice the degree of baseness, degeneration, and decadence prevailing in the realm of freedom of speech. Attacking Qatari women, let alone the systematic attack on state figures, is neither acceptable in Islam, nor in any other religion.
Contrary to Qatar, some of the blockading countries have gone too far in their media campaigns and incitements against Qatar. They have reached a degree of degradation which neither the living, nor the dead can accept. They simply lack maturity and professionalism; yet, some professional training (may be Al Jazeera would help) might be beneficial to them. Freedom of information and expression, along with the acceptance of diverse views is what is missing from their media platforms.
During the latest brutal Israeli war on Gaza, Al Jazeera covered and documented the killings of hundreds of innocents in the Gaza strip. Children, women, and old people were killed by Israeli bombs. At the time, Al Jazeera wanted to show the whole world the savagery of the war there, and some accused it of being biased in its coverage; however, Israeli officials were racing to appear on Al Jazeera to convey their viewpoints and
ensure their presence.
In our modern era, there is no way to shut down a media outlet like Al Jazeera, regardless of the accusations of bias the channel constantly receives. Al Jazeera is to all and for all; it is the channel for all Arabs and the rest of
the world.
To sum up, there is no doubt that the blockading countries used the method of collective punishment in their unjustified measures against Qatar. They separated the man and his wife, the son and his mother, the daughter and father. They deprived thousands of students of education. Some 4,600 Qatari, Saudi, Emirati and Bahraini students have been affected by the unfair decisions by the blockading countries. The freedom of movement of about 11,387 citizens of the Gulf States has also been affected.
Experience has proved that people’s consciousness and awareness have dramatically changed because of exposure to social media and the availability of cheap technology that enables them to access even the most secret and classified information no matter how
countries try to hide it.
The questions remain: who is the beneficiary of all of this fabricated fuss? And what will be the fate of trust with the siege countries? Qatar has been and remains committed to the unity and integration of the GCC, but it is now suffering from attempts to blatantly violate its sovereignty. What will be the future of the Gulf people and their bruised confidence after all of what the world has witnessed – treacherous excesses and attempts to infringe
upon Qatar’s sovereignty?
