UPDATE: Qatari media has reported on remarks by the Qatari Foreign Minister in which he said that Qatar considers the Muslim Brotherhood to be a “political party that practices democracy” and not a terrorist group. According to The Peninsula report:
April 20, 2015 DOHA: Qatar says it does not consider Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation and it is rather a political outfit that practices democracy.
That said, however, Qatar does not support the Muslim Brotherhood and has no quarrel with Egypt.
‘Our differences (with Egypt) are differences only as regards our views,’ said Foreign Minister H E Dr Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah. ‘Qatar does not consider the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation but as a political party that practices democracy,’ he said.
What is really important for Qatar is that Egypt remains strong and stable as an important part of the Arab world.
‘We wish that Arab countries leave these issues behind them and focus on those that pose danger to them,’ said the FM in an interview published by Al Sharq yesterday, reports Qatar News Agency (QNA).
Al Attiyah said Qatar’s relations with its GCC peers are strong and cordial, noting that the differences of opinion do not spoil intimacy and do not change the nature of unity and coherence of the GCC as a system. “
Read the rest here.
As we have often noted, Qatar is a major sponsor of the Global Muslim Brotherhood networks though its official and quasi-official organizations such as Qatar Charity, the Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies, and the Qatar Foundation. Global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi and Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal are also hosted and resident in Qatar which itself is a major funder of Hamas.
The GMBDW reported earlier in November 2014 on the publication of a list of groups designated by the UAE as terrorist organizations and which included a large number of groups tied to the Global Muslim Brotherhood. We have also been following the reactions of a number of these groups to being included on the UAE list.