At this critical stage, many elements appear to be uneasy over the cooperation between Egypt and the Gulf states. There are also certain elements that stand by the Muslim Brotherhood. They would all do well to follow closely the Brotherhood’s malicious media campaign against Egypt that aims at misleading people around the globe regarding the country’s ground situation.
These elements are doing their level best to destabilize the ties between Egypt and the Gulf states and to stoke sectarianism in the region, by using alleged leaked recordings or by spreading brazen lies.
The most recent example of this came last week when it was said that Saudi Arabia, along with the “bulk” of the Gulf states, had abandoned Egypt in its mission to implement the political road map drafted following the ouster of Muslim Brotherhood President Muhammad Mursi in 2013.
However, Saudi Arabia has through the latest comments offered by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and the Kingdom’s ambassador to Egypt, reiterated its support for Cairo in the most unequivocal way. Despite this, however, the Brotherhood’s seductive media machine continues to wage its smear campaign against Egypt.
During this time when Egypt is fighting a war against terror— on two fronts, no less: In Libya to its east, and in Sinai in the west (along with everything in between) — it is incumbent upon us who care about Egypt to tread carefully, for one misstep here or there could inadvertently aid the Brotherhood’s agenda, giving this or that story or rumor or piece of disinformation more weight than it actually deserves, and leading those with less than discerning minds to fall prey to this pro-Brotherhood propaganda. From the Gulf point of view the relationship with Cairo is based on mutual interests that benefit, first, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the other Gulf states —before benefiting the rest of the Arab world. The ongoing regional war against terror as well as efforts to protect stability and promote peace in the region, and develop the region’s economies, are all goals shared by Egypt and most countries in the Gulf. But such goals could never be fulfilled if this international Qutbist organization, with its dream of reestablishing the Caliphate, held power anywhere in the region. When it did, in Egypt, it was unceremoniously booted out by the Egyptian people after only a year in power. This is the truth. What, then, can change it?
This writer would like to draw the attention of its readers to the statements made by the Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) Secretary-General Abdullatif Al-Zayani. According to a source privy to the matter, the first statement — which castigated Egypt for accusations made by its Arab League delegate that Qatar supported extremist groups in the region — had been issued “unilaterally” and did “not represent the full view” of the GCC’s members. The source, who wished to remain anonymous, added that the statement was likely issued “in haste,” and reiterated the GCC’s full support for Egypt and its people.
Of course upon the release of the first statement the Brotherhood’s media machine went into overdrive. But the statement was quickly retracted by the GCC, which issued an additional one that was more in line with its well-known supportive stance toward Cairo. Regardless of the truth of what actually happened here, in the end the furor surrounding this incident, it simply turned out to be yet another opportunity for the Gulf countries to deepen and strengthen their ties with Egypt.
What these would-be saboteurs can’t seem to understand is that the alliance between the Gulf and Egypt is not a matter of choice; it is an unshakable necessity.
