The Muslim Brothers can certainly look for a tighter grip as more cells are dismantled and their rosy dreams of empowerment slowly evaporate in the Gulf.
Saturday 03/08/2019
It is as if the Arab region — the Gulf in particular — was sitting on a powder keg waiting for it to explode in the face of the people of the region, its governments and its stability.
We’ve learnt that Kuwait handed over to Egypt wanted members of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Kuwaiti move was like lifting the cover off the hushed part of the Muslim Brotherhood’s efforts to gain power everywhere and by any means.
The Brotherhood has for many years been putting in place plans for penetrating social and political structures and state and social institutions. It quietly and patiently invested time and energy to bring them to fruition.
Unfortunately for the Brotherhood, those plans did not succeed and have been shrinking as the organisation has gone through one of the most crucial stages in its history, especially in regions that were safe havens for the Brotherhood and constituted strategic reserves for rainy and dark days.
Today, the Brotherhood is facing a tougher resistance and its arsenal is falling apart. Its war on the region is about to reach its final battle and gloomy endings are looming.
The Brotherhood invested heavily in the Gulf, saving the fruits of its labour for occasions that may impede its path to empowerment. Its strongholds in the Gulf have been sources of funding and logistical support and provided highly credible propaganda platforms engaged in provocative campaigns against the central Gulf capitals. In the Brotherhood’s long-term plans, clashing with those capitals was inevitable.
In the targeted countries, the Brotherhood invested in civil society institutions, associations, parties and government departments, especially in ministries such as education, information and endowments. It built a wide network of star speakers and sermonisers, who were helped in their endeavour by the religious conservatism of the local societies and their innate enthusiasm for everything related to the outer formal manifestations of religiosity.
Most of the cell members arrested by the Kuwaiti authorities were working for charitable societies and had links to Turkey and Qatar.
The Muslim Brotherhood cells in the Gulf were known for their touchiness. For example, following the 2011 uprisings in other Arab countries, they took extremely harsh positions towards the government of Kuwait. Backed by foreign powers, they quickly crossed red lines because they thought that the time was ripe to pounce on power.
However, they quickly toned down their rhetoric about the Kuwaiti people and leadership when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, along with Egypt, cut ties with Qatar and the Brotherhood.
We see them today change skin once more and return to insulting Kuwait because of the incident mentioned above. Some of the voices raised from inside Kuwait were sceptical but the traditional Brotherhood propaganda platforms in Turkey described Kuwaiti authorities as treacherous.
In the Gulf, the Brotherhood has always had a double discourse. It seemed harmless but does not hesitate to spring its claws. When the iron grip of the security apparatus looms, it lies low and adopts a flattering discourse. However, as soon as the grip loosens and regional conditions look ripe, it quickly sharpens its tongues and knives.
The Muslim Brotherhood has always considered the Gulf region a suitable backyard for its projects. It has planted its roots deep in some Gulf countries and relocated operations headquarters there after it was kicked out of Egypt. Unfortunately for the Brotherhood, international and economic pressures on Turkey are likely to make Ankara impatient with the Brotherhood and take an opposite path.
The Muslim Brotherhood pawns in the Gulf have always adopted a policy of covert confrontation with their traditional adversary, the government. They hide and manoeuvre and their reactions vary with events and conditions but they are always ready to pounce on any public displeasure anywhere and exploit it for their rebellion.
There is no doubt the pre-emptive security coup in Kuwait was a huge blow for the Muslim Brotherhood. It seems that nobody swallowed its poisoned bait this time and that its flip-flopping caused it to fall in the trap of its own evil machinations.
It appears the near future is going to be full of unpleasant surprises for the Brothers. They can certainly look for a tighter grip as more cells are dismantled and their rosy dreams of empowerment slowly evaporate in the Gulf.
link :
https://thearabweekly.com/muslim-brotherhoods-strategy-gulf-failing
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