From the very days of the foundation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, it has served the entire Muslim world as the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques. Not only is this a cornerstone of faith that is undeniable, unassailable and unequivocal, but Saudi Arabia’s role in organising the Haj and facilitating Umrah goes hand-in-hand with its role as the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques. This is a fundamental tenet recognised by every Muslim, every Arab and every ally aligned with the Saudi Kingdom, and are long-established principles at the United Nations, Arab League, Gulf Cooperation Council and in a whole range of international organisations, treaties, agreements and bodies.
But Qatar somehow seems to think differently — just as it thinks differently on shirking its international responsibilities in fighting terror and shunning those who spread sedition.
Since last June, the anti-terror quartet of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt had closed their air and sea spaces to aircraft and vessels from Qatar because the leadership in Doha had failed to live up to its previous commitments and international accords to fight terror and sedition across this region. Instead, Qatar uses its government to shelter terrorists, uses its finances to fund charities, groups, individuals and organisations that spread terror and sedition, and uses its airwaves to propagate hate and division. The anti-terror quartet wants this to end, wants Qatar to live up to its responsibilities by agreeing to the 13 basic demands of the quartet, and wants Qatar to return to its place in the Arab and Gulf families.
But Qatar has other plans, just as it has planned to make friends with the hegemonic and sectarian regime in Tehran and in the corridors of power in Turkey that lead to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
In this diplomatic chapter, Qatar has wilfully and deliberately ignored entreaties to talk and negotiate, to try and resolve the legitimate concerns of the quartet. And instead of acting as a mature member of the Arab family, the leadership in Doha has acted like an irresponsible rogue regime.
If that was all it did, it would be laughable. But it has gone way beyond that. In recent weeks, Qatar’s warplanes have deliberately buzzed passenger aircraft flying in established civilian air corridors over international waters; its foreign minister has repeatedly lied; it has perverted a UN rights group report on human rights; and now says that the Saudi Custodianship of the two Holy Mosques needs to change. These are words and acts of a leadership set on a path to unwanted escalation.
