The announcement by leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood that they intend to leave Qatar is an encouraging development. Amr Darrag, who was a leading figure in the government of ousted Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi, and preacher Wagdi Ghoneim said over the weekend that the decision had been made after a request from the government in Doha.
Mr Darrag, Mr Ghoneim and Brotherhood secretary general Mahmoud Hussein are expected to seek exile in Turkey. While full details are not yet clear, it would appear that Doha is less tolerant of the Islamist group, which has been a disruptive presence in the Gulf, Egypt and elsewhere. Qatar’s previous apparent support for the Islamists created tensions with Cairo, which has declared the Brotherhood a terrorist organisation and outlawed its political wing, and with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia withdrew their ambassadors from Doha in March in protest.
The departure of the Brotherhood leadership should prepare the ground for the return of normal relations between Doha and the other GCC members and with Egypt. Even Mr Ghoneim acknowledged the Brotherhood’s destabilising nature in a Facebook post saying he had decided to leave “so as not to cause any annoyance, embarrassment or problems for our brothers in Qatar”.
The move comes at a critical time for the region as a coalition of global powers has joined together to tackle the toxic threat of ISIL in Syria and Iraq. The Brotherhood demonstrated in Egypt that its ideology is divisive and unworkable, and its apparent retreat from the Gulf should be welcomed. The very real threat posed by ISIL requires the attention of all countries in this region and will need cooperation rather than rivalry.
