Stop Hate Speech Now

Qatar-Turkey relations are "exceptional, permanent, and enduring," said Qatari Ambassador to Turkey Salem bin Mubarak Al Shafi in a recent interview with a Turkish daily. He added that the ties between the two countries are based on solid foundations and are an "example to be emulated." The ambassador, speaking to the Turkish language daily, Hürriyet, on Tuesday applauded Turkey's unwavering support of Qatar, something he said dates back to the Ottoman era. "These relations are not recent, rather they go back to the era of the Ottoman Empire. Historical records show from 1916 show solidarity between the ruler of the State of Qatar Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani and the Ottomans," Al Shafi said, adding that the alliance between the two states remains intact since it was founded on "truth, loyalty and common values." Al Shafi referred to Turkey's support for Qatar during the 2017 blockade as well as his country's stance...

Bahrain’s human rights body slammed the silence over Qatar’s continuous targeting of local fishermen in the kingdom’s territorial waters, state news agency BNA reported. The National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) expressed concern over the silence of NGOs on Qatar’s violations of human rights, BNA reported on Friday, without naming the accused organizations. Bahrain’s Interior Minister Rashid Al-Khalifa issued a warning to Qatari authorities earlier this week and described Qatar’s actions towards Bahraini fishermen as “brutal.” The minister said that in the last 10 years, Qatar had stopped hundreds of boats with official Bahraini IDs after claiming they were in Qatari waters. However, the fishermen had been fishing in those areas for centuries without any violation, the minister said, adding that it was well known that those areas were part of Bahrain. The minister said the fishermen were arrested in a hostile and humiliated manner. “According to Bahraini fishermen, t...

by  Jordan Cope A reconciliation is only as great as its specific terms and implementation. With normalization deals proliferating across the Middle East, one of the biggest might soon resolve an ongoing proxy war between Qatar and the "Quartet," an alliance composed of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt. There are many rumors surrounding the supposedly impending deal. One source predicts Saudi Arabia will end its years-long blockade in return for Qatar dropping its related lawsuits against it. Another source predicts a deal honing coexistence, rather than reconciliation. Speculation abounds after Doha received 13 demands, including ultimatums to shed its ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and to close its Al Jazeera Network. The U.S. also has a stake, hoping to resolve a feud that has compromised efforts to counter the Iranian regime. As promising as reconciliation would be, the Quartet must refuse any de...

Bahrain on Thursday rejected a letter sent by Qatar to the UN Security Council on an alleged violation of its airspace by four Bahraini fighter jets.  “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain affirms that the Qatari authorities’ claim that four fighters from the Royal Bahraini Air Force violated their airspace on Wednesday, December 9, 2020, is irresponsible and baseless,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The ministry said that on that date, two F-16 aircraft of Bahrain together with two more from the US were on a military drill in the designated military exercise area in Saudi Arabia’s airspace. It said that after the exercises ended, the planes headed back to Bahrain, crossing the airspace of Saudi Arabia, to land at Isa Air Base. “The ministry affirms that this is the usual exit route from the military drill area towards the airspace of the Kingdom of Bahrain and that on their way back, the aircraft have not used the Qatari airspace as the ...

 Qatari authorities have failed to provide redress for hundreds of migrant workers who are suffering from months of unpaid wages at two companies, even though authorities have repeatedly been informed of these abuses, Human Rights Watch said today. The Workers’ Support and Insurance Fund, which the government established in 2018 specifically to ensure that workers are paid their wages when companies fail to pay, has not been utilized to benefit these struggling workers in the two companies. “It is disheartening that hundreds of workers in at least two companies are struggling to obtain their unpaid wages even though the Qatari government has been made aware of these abuses over and over again,” said Maham Javaid , Middle East fellow at Human Rights Watch. “The Qatari government’s failure to ensure that workers are paid underlines the disappointing gap between Qatar’s promises of reform and the reality.” On September 28, 2020, Human Rights Watch wrote to the Qatari autho...

By Mohamed Alodadi Since Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain severed diplomatic relations with the Qatar and imposed an air, land, and sea embargo, the country has not altered its behavior. With talks of normalization with Qatar on the horizon, the boycotting states should acknowledge that none of their demands have been met. Qatar has been playing the victim as it lobbies the US and the European Union to pressure the boycotting countries to re-establish diplomatic relations and lift the embargo. Unfortunately, some American and European politicians and diplomats seem to believe the Qatari narrative of victimhood and its argument that the boycotting countries are trying to interfere in the internal affairs of Qatar, infringe its sovereignty, and stifle the freedom of the press there. Most often, Qatar cites the boycotting countries’ demands as interference in its internal affairs. When the boycott was launched, the Arab Quartet gave a list of 13 demands. Among them was...

The exposure of Muslim Brotherhood networks in France led to President Emanuel Macron’s tougher stance on extremism, experts said, as they urged other nations to follow suit. In an online seminar on France’s steps to tackle Islamist extremism hosted by think tank the Henry Jackson Society, experts called for the Muslim Brotherhood and Qatar’s financing in foreign states to be examined. France launched a crackdown on radical groups after the murder of teacher Samuel Paty who had shown students cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed during a lesson on free speech, and a subsequent attack in Nice’s largest church that killed three people. This month, the French government unveiled draft legislation aimed at better arming France against radicalism, a project promoted by Mr Macron to root out what he calls separatists undermining the nation. The bill targets home schools, mosques or associations that circulate an ideology running counter to French values, which authorities are calling...