Qatar’s Social Media Supporters Respond to Crisis with Gulf Nations

A Saudi man using a cellphone stands near Marine One, with US President Barack Obama aboar
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty
Ali Waked

TEL AVIV — In wake of the decision of a number of Arab states to sever ties with Qatar and in light of a significant social media campaign against the small kingdom, Qatar’s supporters have decided to take up the fight online. Among other things, the nation’s supporters are accusing those against Qatar of supporting Israel.

On Monday, the nations of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt decided to sever diplomatic ties with Qatar. These countries accused Qatar of harming Arab unity and providing support to extremist organizations.

Yesterday, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir said that Qatar has crossed red lines and that it must end support for inciteful media and groups like Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Qatar’s supporters responded to the campaign with a social media offensive of their own, defending the Gulf kingdom.

Abdullah Alghamdi teased the countries that decided to sever ties with Qatar and compared sanctions that are expected to be implemented against Qatar to those against Israel. “Showing support for Qatar – 5 years in prison, but showing support for Israel is free speech. All that’s missing is for them to say that whoever marries a Qatari man or woman should expect to get the death sentence, but marriage to an Israeli man or woman is the realization of kinship.”

Altot Aluteibi continued along the same sarcastic line, tweeting, “I suppose next year they’ll add Hebrew studies to the school curricula.”

Saleem Mohsen wrote, “When treachery becomes a personal opinion, Qatar will win and the villains will lose.”

Samsura wrote, “May Allah fix the Islamic nation. What matters to them today is that the infidels will be pleased with them. After becoming the greatest nation, today we prostrate ourselves to the enemies of our religion. May Allah restore the era of glory.”

The Mauritanian Islamic publicist Muhamad Mukhtar Alshinqit wrote, “All the respectable parties are standing with Qatar and all the miscreants stand against her. Let each of us decide which side to join, a man is judged by the identity of his friends.”

Dr. Huthaifa Azzam, the son of Abdullah Azzam, Osama Bin Laden’s ideological mentor, addressed the crisis against Qatar and its expected effect on Hamas by quoting the Quran: “A small group from my nation continues to protect justice, to fight their enemies, are not afraid of those who go against them, are not afraid of harm and continue until the divine command comes.”

https://twitter.com/AzzamHuthaifa/status/872276885027385348?s=03

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.