Emir of Qatar in Berlin

Tomorrow, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Olaf Scholz will welcome Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani in Berlin with military honors and a red carpet. The visit of the Emir of the Arab Gulf state of Qatar comes at a time in which the state’s propaganda machinery, TV station Al Jazeera, agitates against Jews and against Israel all day long – in Arabic and in other languages. “In this context, the Chancellor’s assertions that Israel’s safety is a matter of state policy in Germany sound unconvincing. Qatar is providing media and financial support for international Sunni Islamism, also in Germany,” emphasized Dr. Kamal Sido, Middle East Correspondent of the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP), on Wednesday in Göttingen. “Someone who systematically spreads hatred and resentment against other ethnic groups, religious denominations or communities is surely also willing to torture and kill their members.”

Over the last few days, there was a lot of coverage of the contacts between the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas and the Mullah regime in Iran. German Chancellor Scholz and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock condemned the inhumane attacks against the Israeli civilian population – rightfully pointing the finger at the Iranian regime as well. “What the highest representatives of the German Federal Government are not saying is that Hamas is a Sunni organization that is mainly supported by Sunni Qatar and NATO partner Turkey,” Sido stated. “Some of the leaders of the international Sunni network of the Muslim Brotherhood are based in Qatar and Turkey, and Hamas plays a key role. The network agitates against Jews, Kurds, Christians, and Yazidis – also in Germany. The brotherhood rejects values such as democracy and human rights, equality, and religious freedom.”

For the German Federal Government, it is time for a change of course regarding Qatar and Islamism in general. “German politicians must find clear words even when dealing with important energy suppliers and partners. The suspicion might arise that NATO tacitly tolerates this support from radical Sunni Islamist groups for geopolitical reasons,” Sido added.