Saudi Arabia & Allies Condemned For Imposing Blockade On Qatar

Mr. Yahaya Alhassan, President & Founder Of Africa Eye

The President of Africa Eye, Mr. Yahaya Alhassan, has described the policies and blockade spearheaded by Saudi Arabia against their neighbour, Qatar, as a crime against international law.

He said the action by Saudi Arabia and its allies is nothing but smear campaign against the growing geo-political impact of Qatar in the Gulf and wider Middle East region.

According to him for a country especially Saudi Arabia to describe Qatar as supporting terrorism is not only morbid but the most outrageous accusation ever to reach the ears.

He observed that religious dogma and financial donations are barring respected Muslim scholars or experts from criticizing Saudi Arabia on one hand, and on the other hand the West are not doing enough against the Saudis because of oil and they have also been blind and silent on the actions of Saudi Arabia on many crucial issues.

Mr. Alhassan mentioned the continuous bombardment of poor Yemen by the oil-rich Saudi Arabia, which has left the head of the Norwegian Humanitarian Council, Mr. Jan Egeland, to do Allah's care work in Yemen as some of the wrongs of Saudi the world is silent on.

“What is wrong with Qatar welcoming Hamas or supporting vulnerable palestines he asked, and went on to add that “someone somewhere cannot rule my conscience by defining for me who a terrorist is”.

“I would not retire or be a former president before telling the world that Hamas is not a terrorist group. Members of Hamas are freedom fighters, fighting for their right to self-determination, which is a fundamental human right and like Nelson Mandela who was branded as terrorist but was later hailed".

According to him, the harassment of Qatari pilgrims by Saudi officials, including the barring of pilgrims from Qatar from entering the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Masjid al-Haram, as reported by leading news outlets, especially Al-Sharq newspaper, constitute clear betrayal of the teachings of Holy Prophet Mohammed (s.a.w) and a violating the pillars of Islam by toying it with cheap politics.

Mr. Alhassan said the action of Saudi Arabia in denying camels belonging to Qatari citizens from grazing in Saudi territory terribly reflects the Saudis lack of knowledge with regard to the protocols of conflicts among states. “Where does morality and humanity lie in this” he asked.

He stressed that, Qatar Charity is currently operating in Ghana to assist the needy in the country, irrespective of religious or political background, and for Saudi Arabia and its partners to brand such an organization as a terrorist group is a desperate catch up attempt to tarnish the growing imagine of Qatar in the international.

He is of the view that the call on Qatar to shut down Al-Jazeera network is at best a joke and at worst a clear indication of the hatred Saudi Arabia and its partners have against the media. “Al-Jazeera is Qatar’s gift to the Arab and Muslim world and to shut it down would be turning back the clock of civilization” he said.

“Can anyone ever imagine the British Prime Minister, Theresa May, being asked to shut down the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) or the Government of Ghana being asked to shut down the Ghana Television (GTV)” he asked.

He said that African Governments and people back the State Qatar during these difficult times. He revealed that Africa Eye, which serves as a listening post to condemn and campaign against the bullying of smaller nations, firmly supports Qatar in the stand-off. Africa Eye also promotes Africa to the rest of the world.

Mr. Alhassan concluded by praising the German Foreign Minister, Sigmar Gabriel, and the British opposition leader, Jeremy Cobyn, for their statesmanship stance and calling on Saudi Arabia to play by the international law.