Qatar's Control Over Egypt: Error In Advocating The Brotherhood's Project
22 January 2013By Tariq Alhomayed
The Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim says
that what is being said about his country trying to
control Egypt is a "silly joke", adding that "Egypt
with its great human and economic assets and
potentials cannot be dominated by any other country".
Of course, Sheikh Hamad's words are true and accurate,
given that former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak
could not control Egypt, nor could President Mursi,
for Egypt's problems are too big for anybody to
control. Yet the story is not about this, rather it is
about subversion; lending support for something and
sabotaging something else. Supporting a specific trend
in Egypt at the expense of another is highly
destructive. It is well known that Qatar supports the
Muslim Brotherhood everywhere, not only in Egypt, and
not only financially but also in the media.
One may argue that there is no harm in this, for there
are those that support liberal currents and so on
elsewhere in the Arab World, so it is the Qataris
right to support the Muslim Brotherhood. This is true,
but what exactly are Doha's reasons for supporting the
Brotherhood? Qatar is making efforts in all areas
because Doha is a progressive capital seeking
development, but Qatar's support for the Muslim
Brotherhood, whether in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya or even
the Gulf States, is puzzling. Qatari society, for
example, is far more Salafi-orientated than many would
imagine, in accordance with the doctrine of Sheikh
Mohammed Ibn Abd al-Wahhab. This makes the country's
media and political support for the Muslim Brotherhood
puzzling and surprising, not only in Egypt, Tunisia
and Libya, but also in Syria, Jordan, and the Gulf
States, and even in countries where the presence of
the Brotherhood is not well known.
My intention here is not to defame Qatar but rather to
ask a question that needs to be asked, yet which has
yet to be answered. Why, for example, is there Qatari
enthusiasm for the Brotherhood, and not only at the
level of the Egyptian state but also at the level of a
political movement like Hamas?
I write this article having visited Qatar. Anyone who
visits Doha would find that it is a magical city, and
this is something that must be supported, but Qatar's
policy, specifically towards the Muslim Brotherhood,
needs to be explained. When Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim
says the idea of Qatar seeking to control Egypt is a
silly joke, this is true, but the danger lies in
supporting certain trends and movements at the expense
of the concept of the state. This is a real danger
that would impact upon the region as a whole, and on
Qatar itself.
So the story is not about controlling Egypt, for the
land of Egypt will ultimately prevail over all those
who seek to control it, but the real issue, and the
danger, lies in political, media and financial
subversion, whether in Egypt or elsewhere, where the
concept of the state is distorted. This is the danger,
so will Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim explain the rationale
behind his country's support for the Muslim
Brotherhood? At this point, we will either understand
the rationale behind it, or we may be able to explain
Qatar's error in advocating the Brotherhood's project
not only in Egypt but in the entire region.
The worry is not that Qatar will control Egypt, but
rather that the Muslim Brotherhood will attempt to.
This would result in the loss of the civil state, and
this is the crux of the matter.
Tariq Alhomayed is the Editor-in-Chief of Asharq
Al-Awsat, the youngest person to be appointed that
position. He holds a BA degree in Media studies from
King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, and has also
completed his Introductory courses towards a Master's
degree from George Washington University in Washington
D.C. He is based in London.
©
EsinIslam.Com
Add Comments