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| Emirati nerves rattled by Islamists' rise | Emirati nerves rattled by Islamists' rise |
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| It's been almost two years since the Arab spring began and it is clear that there is nervousness about further change across the Middle East. Illustrating the point, this week saw a high-profile attack from the United Arab Emirates on the Muslim Brotherhood, which has emerged as the biggest political force in Egypt and Tunisia and has been prominent in post-Gaddafi Libya, as well as the ongoing uprising in Syria. The UAE's foreign minister, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, denounced the Brotherhood as "an organization which encroaches upon the sovereignty and integrity of nations" - expanding on a call to fellow Gulf states to cooperate against it. The chances of success seem slim, not least because the Brotherhood is legal in Kuwait and Qatar – from where (to the chagrin of other hereditary Arab rulers), the emir has been punching above his weight by backing Islamists all over the region. | It's been almost two years since the Arab spring began and it is clear that there is nervousness about further change across the Middle East. Illustrating the point, this week saw a high-profile attack from the United Arab Emirates on the Muslim Brotherhood, which has emerged as the biggest political force in Egypt and Tunisia and has been prominent in post-Gaddafi Libya, as well as the ongoing uprising in Syria. The UAE's foreign minister, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, denounced the Brotherhood as "an organization which encroaches upon the sovereignty and integrity of nations" - expanding on a call to fellow Gulf states to cooperate against it. The chances of success seem slim, not least because the Brotherhood is legal in Kuwait and Qatar – from where (to the chagrin of other hereditary Arab rulers), the emir has been punching above his weight by backing Islamists all over the region. |
| In recent months the UAE authorities have cracked down on peaceful demonstrations, arrested 60 activists, some of them members of the Brotherhood linked Islah (Reform) movement, stripped others of their citizenship, and disbanded the elected boards of civil society organizations. | In recent months the UAE authorities have cracked down on peaceful demonstrations, arrested 60 activists, some of them members of the Brotherhood linked Islah (Reform) movement, stripped others of their citizenship, and disbanded the elected boards of civil society organizations. |
| Emirati media have reported that the Islamists have confessed to forming a secret organization aimed at destabilizing the country's political system. Islah has denied these claims and says any confessions must have been made under torture. Brotherhood spokesmen in Egypt have rebuffed Nahyan's broader comments, accused the UAE government of corruption and reiterated their own commitment to democratic change. President Mohammed Morsi has insisted that Egypt's revolution is "not for export." | Emirati media have reported that the Islamists have confessed to forming a secret organization aimed at destabilizing the country's political system. Islah has denied these claims and says any confessions must have been made under torture. Brotherhood spokesmen in Egypt have rebuffed Nahyan's broader comments, accused the UAE government of corruption and reiterated their own commitment to democratic change. President Mohammed Morsi has insisted that Egypt's revolution is "not for export." |
| It is, to put it mildly, a touchy issue for the UAE (as it is for the other Gulf monarchies). Officials and intellectuals fret that their neighbourhood has become much more dangerous since the start of the Arab uprisings and the looming crisis over Iran's nuclear ambitions. Michael Hudson, the American academic, described the mood well on a recent visit: | It is, to put it mildly, a touchy issue for the UAE (as it is for the other Gulf monarchies). Officials and intellectuals fret that their neighbourhood has become much more dangerous since the start of the Arab uprisings and the looming crisis over Iran's nuclear ambitions. Michael Hudson, the American academic, described the mood well on a recent visit: |
| "Perhaps naively, I asked a group of specialists from Gulf countries why they would have any problem with Islamist parties emerging to play a decisive role in Tunisia, Egypt, and other countries affected by the uprisings. After all, wouldn't they be happier with more culturally like-minded regimes coming to power? I felt like a dentist who had just touched a nerve." | "Perhaps naively, I asked a group of specialists from Gulf countries why they would have any problem with Islamist parties emerging to play a decisive role in Tunisia, Egypt, and other countries affected by the uprisings. After all, wouldn't they be happier with more culturally like-minded regimes coming to power? I felt like a dentist who had just touched a nerve." |
It is also clear that while the UAE has an interest in maintaining the image of the Brotherhood as subversive bogeymen, Islamists do have their own agenda – though their appeal appears limited. As the commentator Sultan al-Qasemi has argued: | It is also clear that while the UAE has an interest in maintaining the image of the Brotherhood as subversive bogeymen, Islamists do have their own agenda – though their appeal appears limited. As the commentator Sultan al-Qasemi has argued: |
UAE citizens (are) apprehensive about protesting or making public political demands for fear of triggering a societal chain reaction. Another reason is the unknown alternative; is the vision that the inexperienced and opportunistic political Islamists offer any better than the status quo? That is highly doubtful. | UAE citizens (are) apprehensive about protesting or making public political demands for fear of triggering a societal chain reaction. Another reason is the unknown alternative; is the vision that the inexperienced and opportunistic political Islamists offer any better than the status quo? That is highly doubtful. |
The Emirati authorities, in any event, do not take negative publicity lying down. A recent comment piece in the Guardian by an Islah activist has attracted particular venom. The fightback in Abu Dhabi has been fast and abusive. Under a Twitter hashtag #UK_supports_traitors the Guardian and BBC have been accused of being in the pay of the Qataris; knowledge of Arabic is produced as evidence of involvement in "espionage." Harassed foreign office diplomats are being forced to explain that the British government does not control the British press. | The Emirati authorities, in any event, do not take negative publicity lying down. A recent comment piece in the Guardian by an Islah activist has attracted particular venom. The fightback in Abu Dhabi has been fast and abusive. Under a Twitter hashtag #UK_supports_traitors the Guardian and BBC have been accused of being in the pay of the Qataris; knowledge of Arabic is produced as evidence of involvement in "espionage." Harassed foreign office diplomats are being forced to explain that the British government does not control the British press. |
| But the campaign is wider than that. The UAE has been lobbying hard in both Washington and London against their "honeymoon" with the new regimes of the Arab spring, with special emphasis on Egypt. It is perhaps over-stating the case to call this effort a Gulf "counter-revolution" but the Cold War notion of "containment" certainly fits the bill. | But the campaign is wider than that. The UAE has been lobbying hard in both Washington and London against their "honeymoon" with the new regimes of the Arab spring, with special emphasis on Egypt. It is perhaps over-stating the case to call this effort a Gulf "counter-revolution" but the Cold War notion of "containment" certainly fits the bill. |
| British officials are troubled by this not least because UK exports to the UAE are worth a whopping £4.7 bn a year – at a time when relations with the Gulf are focused more than ever on trade and investment opportunities. Dialogue on human rjghts, the foreign office says, is conducted privately. These tensions - public and private - are reminders that the hopes and fears created by the Arab spring are not going away any time soon. | British officials are troubled by this not least because UK exports to the UAE are worth a whopping £4.7 bn a year – at a time when relations with the Gulf are focused more than ever on trade and investment opportunities. Dialogue on human rjghts, the foreign office says, is conducted privately. These tensions - public and private - are reminders that the hopes and fears created by the Arab spring are not going away any time soon. |
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