How Gulf States supported June 30 revolution?

CAIRO – 1 July 2018: During the events of the June 30 Revolution, the Gulf States have supported Egyptians in their war against terrorism due to the sacred relations between Egypt and these states.

Some Gulf States, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, sensed the danger of the Brotherhood and accused some of its leaders of trying to seize power, issuing against its members varying provisions. Hence, the group longer exists in a number of Gulf States.

Egypt was not the only county to ban the Muslim Brotherhood; the United Arab Emirates took strict procedures against them, and the Saudi authorities put the Brotherhood on the list of terrorist groups in March 2014. As for the Sultanate of Oman, their Brotherhood, which was founded at the end of the 1970s, faced in the 90s accusations of establishing a secret anti-state organ and so some of its members were sentenced to death and some others were sent to prison.

In the following lines, we provide a quick refresher of the Gulf States' stances in support of the Egyptian June 30 Revolution.

Saudi Arabia:

The late Saudi monarch King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz expressed his full support for the will of the Egyptian people.


King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz (Photo: Reuters)

King Abdullah was the first president to congratulate President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi on his election as president after the ouster of ex Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsi and paid a visit to Egypt right after Sisi's inauguration.

Kuwait:

In the wake of the June 30 Revolution, Kuwaiti government announced a vocal support for the will of the Egyptians and their right to protest the tyrannical regime of the Muslim Brotherhood.

It also participated in Egypt's Economic Development Conference held in Sharm El Sheikh in 2015, joined by other Arab and foreign countries.


Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (C) poses for a picture with the participants of the Egypt Economic Development conference in Sharm el-Sheikh on 13 March 2015 (AFP)

Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Oman announced a total of $12.5 billion aid to Cairo and pledged support to the Egyptian State in its war against terrorism and extremism.

United Arab Emirates

The UAE support to the Egyptian revolution against the Muslim Brotherhood was not only highlighted in the political or economic domains but extended to the international scene.

A few months after the June 30 revolution, the UAE decided to place the Brotherhood in its terror list.


Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan - File photo


On Saturday, President Sisi addressed the Egyptian people to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the June 30 Revolution, describing it as an “immortal day in Egypt’s history.”

“On this remarkable day, millions of Egyptians; men, women, elders and youth, stood up to say their word loud and clear: there is no place for a traitor or conspirator among them, and to stress that they have nothing but loyalty to this homeland,” Sisi said in a televised speech aired early Saturday, adding that the events of June 30 changed the whole region and redirected its destiny, otherwise it would have “sank into terrorism and sectarianism.”

“On this acclaimed day, Egyptians had stopped the extremism and division wave that would have plagued the region,” Sisi stressed, expressing his respect and appreciation to the people for their patience, persistence and unity with their national institution to confront one of the biggest challenges in their history.

To commemorate the fifth anniversary of the June 30 Revolution, the Egyptian Cabinet, headed by newly-appointed Premier Mostafa Madbouli, announced July 1 a national holiday to both the public and private sectors across the country.