There is a deliberate and clear defamation campaign against Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in some print media and TV channels, as well as on social media platforms. What might be the motive of these malicious campaigns, one wonders? What is clear though is that the positive role played by Saudi Arabia and the UAE in the region has rattled many inimical forces.
It is also astonishing to note that the malicious distortion campaigns always come after any positive stance taken by Gulf nations. Earlier, we used to disbelieve and denounce any news pertaining to malicious actions against countries in the region. We even cast doubts and considered such news as fabricated due to our extreme optimism and strong trust in nations around us.
Until recently, those responsible for unleashing such malicious campaigns used to hide behind fronts to cover up their deeds. Nowadays, in the era of the global village, things have become clearer, and it is easy to tear down these barriers and reveal those that hide behind them.
Perhaps this malicious campaign targeting the region has something to do with envy, or due to conflicting interests of others, whether they are Arab or foreign parties. The envy could be due to the rapid economic growth and wealth in GCC countries, while other nations are suffering from poverty due to political and administrative crises and corruption.
The GCC experience in development and modernity is open to all who want to draw lessons from it. Higher Arab interests remain beyond question, and thus, GCC countries will never harm the interests of any other Arab nations.
Has the war in Yemen, which is about to come to an end, led some countries to shuffle their cards, even though the objectives behind the war were strategically clear?
Some may turn a blind eye when it comes to Al Houthis, while wisdom requires a clear perspective to identify those who are backing the Al Houthis, and understand their spiteful goals.
Is it the despair and frustration of the Palestinians regarding the decline in the Palestinian issue that has led some, with bad intentions, to be involved in these campaigns? This could be due to the deteriorating priority of the Palestinian cause, which took centre stage in the past seven decades. The campaigns might be attributed to the political stands of the GCC countries when it comes to certain political parties and fundamentalist organisations in the Arab arena, such as the Muslim Brotherhood and Hezbollah. These organisations have been blacklisted by Gulf nations due to clear reasons, and due to what these extremist organisations have done in the region.
Supporting extremism
Hezbollah is strongly present in Yemen in terms of military and logistics support for Al Houthis. It also plays the same role in Syria and Iraq. Meanwhile, the Muslim Brotherhood committed atrocities when it came to power in 2012 before they were overthrown in 2013. They were also successful in assuming power in Tunisia, and are supporting extremism in Libya in order to establish a strong footing in the war-torn country.
What happened in Egypt and Tunisia heralded the sleeping cells of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Gulf region, prompting them to attempt and create political unrest in the GCC, which they thought would pave the way for them to overthrow the political regimes and assume power.
However, these attempts were thwarted and these cells were fortunately arrested and brought to justice in public trials that were covered by the media over the course of several months. The details of their trial were published in local papers. The arrest and trial of these terrorist cells is the sovereign right of these countries.
Are there foreign countries involved in this campaign? Maybe. This is because extremist organisations have links with some foreign nations that support them and urge them to remain committed to their political agenda in the Arab region. Be as it may, those who are behind these malicious campaigns are bound to fail because the GCC stands together and remains united.
Mohammad Hassan Al Harbi is a renowned columnist and author whose writings cover various fields ranging from media studies to education.
Mohammad Hassan Al Harbi is a renowned columnist and author whose writings cover various fields ranging from media studies to education.
