GCC must show united front to divisive groups

In the time it has taken for the UAE to reaffirm the importance of the GCC’s solidarity and restate its purpose of protecting the region, Yousuf Al Qaradawi and the Muslim Brotherhood and other entities are trying to drive a wedge in the very unity that makes the GCC so resilient, the Abu-Dhabi daily Al Ittihad said in its editorial on Sunday.

“This is especially interesting when considering that this is a time when many Arab countries have been shaken by the turmoil of the Arab Spring,” it said.

“After three weeks of silence, Al Qaradawi is back, via his weekly sermon and via his live broadcast, to sow discord by criticising the UAE, causing widespread outrage and raising questions about his real intentions. The UAE has always emphasised that a threat in one of the Gulf nations can very well spill over the borders to the rest of the region, and thus, in unity the GCC finds strength.

The most immediate threat to the stability of the GCC is the Muslim Brotherhood, which is why there must be a clear message sent that the group’s actions will not be tolerated.

As such, the GCC should establish a precedent for other instigators and religious factions to heed: that the Gulf countries are united in their zero-tolerance response to those who aim to be disrupt the stability of the Gulf with deluded, self-proclaimed religious righteousness, the editorial concluded.