Assassination is Doha’s next weapon against writers: expert

CAIRO – 4 September 2017: Qatari embassy in Kuwait has launched a critical campaign against Kuwaiti authors and writers, most notably columnist Foad Al-Hashim, who is best known for criticizing Qatari regime and Islamists.

The Qatari embassy has filed a lawsuit against al-Hashim accusing him of insulting the Qatari rulers.

“Calls for toppling Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani are behind the Qatari campaign against the Kuwaiti writers,” Al-Hashim told Egypt’s national newspaper Al-Ahram on Monday.

Qatar’s threats to Al-Hashim reflect Doha’s fears and shallowness, political expert Tarek Fahmi told Egypt Today on Monday.

“Assassination is the following step that Doha may resort to after threatening the writers and politicians,” Fahmi added.

Foad al-Hashim is a columnist for the Kuwaiti daily Al-Watan, who frequently criticizes Qatari regime and Islamists. He usually writes that Qatari people are filled with deep resentment, but they also live in fear and cannot express opposing opinions.

Since June 5, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have turned against Qatar with a complete air and trade boycott over allegations of its support and sponsorship of terrorism, which Doha denies.

Following the Arab boycott of Doha, a list of 13-demands was handed over to Doha’s government by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain for reconciliation, which includes the closing of Al-Jazeera broadcasting and the suspension of its relationship with the extremist government of Iran.

Since then, Qatar has resisted conciliation attempts and has not shown any efforts of disassociating itself from the terrorist groups that the quartet claims are harbored and financially supported by Doha.