Leniency towards Qatar not an option

Despite the possibility that the current regional crisis could escalate, Arab countries cannot afford to have a policy of consideration and leniency towards Qatar.

The ongoing crisis shows Qatar will not hesitate to prop itself up with help from Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iran's Hassan Rouhani.

Such an opportunistic behaviour could only be expected from Doha as it was the first Arab country that collaborated with Israel and embraced Zionist leaders with open arms.

Doha also hobnobbed with Lebanon's Hezbollah, which had made banners and posters in its stronghold of southern Beirut with 'Thanks, Hamad' inscribed on them. They were showing appreciation for the then Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, for his support.

In the light of above facts, the Arab states should not now adopt a policy of leniency towards Qatar. The renegade Gulf state took advantage of such policy in the past and went too far, funding terrorism and attempting to plant seeds of instability in the Arabian Gulf. The impunity with which Qatar has been funding groups that target Emirati sons in Yemen is well known. This crime has been documented in detail. It's an open secret that Qatar supports and funds sectarian Shia militants to destabilise the neighbouring Bahrain. Doha's hand can also be seen in the terror blasts that targeted Egyptian people almost daily.

It is shocking that the Gulf state attends closed-door meetings of the GCC and conspires against the same countries, kills their citizens and targets their interests the moment it walks out of the meeting room.

Doha authorities took advantage of grey areas to fund terror, incite sabotage and destruction. It covered up its nefarious deeds with the help of its extensive media network.

Qatar's dangerous and ambitious policies have caused havoc in many Arab countries. The destructive agenda of Al Jazeera TV channels and other media groups owned by Qatar are exposed. These networks are led by a number of mercenaries in which Qatari citizens play only a marginal role.

Clearly, the crisis has exposed the people, who have been bought by Qatar over the past years and were showered with money to advance Doha's nefarious agenda.

This has uncovered the extremist clerics, who incite riots, unrest and extremism and who give edicts that allow a man to blow himself up and kill innocent people.

These clerics have abused Islam, its teachings and have forgotten the fact that Islam is the religion of peace, mercy and tolerance for the entire humanity.

Source: Khaleej Times