There are red lines in any political discourse between nations, societies and cultures. And in the Muslim world, the role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as the custodian of the two Holy Mosques is a cornerstone, a foundation that is undeniable, unassailable and unequivocal. That is an immovable and irrefutable reality that has existed since the establishment of the Kingdom itself. Similarly, the Kingdom’s role in organising the Haj too falls hand-in-hand with its custodianship of the Holy Mosques.
These two basic and fundamental tenets are red-line issues for every Muslim, every Arab and every ally aligned with the kingdom — and are long-established principles at the United Nations, the Arab League, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and a whole range of international organisations, treaties, agreements and bodies.
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Qatar has crossed these red lines — and has done so deliberately, wilfully and intent on causing insult, disrespect and malice in the Arab world. It’s slight is intentional and done to consciously undermine Saudi Arabia — requesting that Haj operations be organised internationally. That suggestion is ill-advised, ill-timed, ill-temperate and ill-conceived — and merely underlines how far the government in Doha has drifted from its Arab brothers and partners in the GCC.
For the past weeks, together the governments of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt have isolated Qatar to ensure that it no longer supports or gives voices to those who spread terrorism and extremism, and that it live up to its commitments to end its funding for terrorists and terrorist causes.
Qatar has blindly failed to see the error of its ways, has turned a deaf ear to the voices of reason calling for it to end its dalliances and dabbling in extremism, and has now uttered treasonous and sacrilegious sentiments that, in the words of Adel Al Jubeir, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, are tantamount to an act of war.
The rulers and government in Qatar, along with all its citizens should be under no illusions at this juncture: the four brotherly nations of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt, will take any and all steps necessary to ensure that the malignancies of terrorism and extremism spreading from Doha will be excised.
There are many ways for this to happen, and the four nations have the means, measures and merit to ensure Qatar complies and conforms with international treaties and regional undertakings. For weeks now the four have awaited Qatar’s proper response to 13 reasonable demands. Patience is wearing thin.
