Sharjah: Several Gulf analysts discussed Doha’s manoeuvres to politicise Haj and its motives behind such actions in a television show broadcast on Sharjah TV on Thursday evening.
The programme hosted Mohammad Al Hammadi, Editor-in-Chief of Al Ittihad newspaper, featured Dr Ayed Al Manna’, a Kuwaiti academic and political researcher, and Dr Abdullah Al Assaf, a professor of political media at Imam Mohammad Bin Saud University in Saudi Arabia.
Al Hammadi said that Doha was insisting on politicising the Haj with a view to exerting more pressure on Saudi Arabia and the other Arab countries that have been boycotting Qatar since last June. He pointed out that if the Qatari regime wanted to respond positively to the benevolent gesture of Saudi Arabia towards Qatari pilgrims, it would not behave in such a manner. Al Hammadi said that Qatar chose the opposite route, instilling fear in Qatari pilgrims who wanted to perform Haj this year.
Al Manna’ said that Qatar missed out on a “precious opportunity”, and did not benefit from Saudi Arabia’s initiative. He added that Qatar should have welcomed the initiative and used it as a step towards achieving reconciliation. However, it opted to follow the directives of “Iran, a country that aims to raise questions on Saudi Arabia’s management of Haj”. This, Al Manna’ said, shows that Qatar’s policies are dictated by other nations.
Al Assaf pointed out that Saudi Arabia has successfully refuted every single complaint and excuse that had been fabricated and presented by the Qatari regime to its people. He said that the Qatari regime fabricated lies concerning the Haj to its people in order to “conceal its crimes”. He emphasised that by siding with Iran, the Qatari regime has become an official spokesperson for that country, particularly regarding the topic of Haj.
—WAM
