In the
bloody terror-fueled conflicts that have been waged by the U.S. and
NATO in Libya and Syria, one man has helped to recruit so-called
“freedom fighters” and unleash them on those countries’
innocent civilians. But he has yet to be brought to justice.
by
Steven Sahiounie
Part
4 - Qatar: Trump’s scapegoat
So what has
changed so drastically to allow for a touted “freedom fighter”
like al-Harati to now be labeled as a terrorist? The difference is in
U.S. President Donald Trump, who announced during a recent trip to
the Middle East that his administration will look at things
differently. Trump has singled out Qatar as the sacrificial lamb on
the altar in the U.S.’ fight against terrorism – despite the fact
that Qatar is just one of several parties who have supported Syrian
terrorists, parties ranging from the Free Syrian Army to ISIS.
Someone has to pay the price – and this time, it is Qatar.
Qatar does
support the Muslim Brotherhood, as does Turkey. It is no wonder that
Turkey has sent troops to protect Qatar from attack by Saudi Arabia
and the other Arab countries that have lined up with the U.S. against
Qatar. But how will U.S., UK and EU leaders explain their own past
support and defense of the Muslim Brotherhood? Some may suggest that
should the Muslim Brotherhood is outlawed in their countries, their
citizens may face chaos and rioting.
Trump and
the American people will need to ask themselves if they really want
to shut down extremism and CIA-backed jihad – or if they would
rather watch Qatar sink into the sand from which it arose?
America lost
its war on Syria, and it seems that Qatar will pay the price for
allying itself with Iran — Syria’s only friend in the region.
William J.
Murray is the chairman of the Religious Freedom Coalition and
director of several aid programs. Murray writes:
“The
United States and its NATO and Islamist Gulf States allies have made
the disease of jihad more infectious and spread it across the world.
The American strategic concept of arming the “enemy of our enemy”
does not work when both combatants have an equal hatred for
democracy. What the United States has accomplished during two decades
of interventionist doctrine is the destruction of several functioning
nations that were no threat to Americans, and the formation of
terrorist groups bent upon the destruction of the West and the
establishment of Shariah-compliant governments worldwide.”
Al-Harati
swapped his camouflage military garb for a suit and tie when he
became mayor of Tripoli in 2014 – perhaps as part of efforts to
reinvent his image. But with his recent arrest in Malta and his
arrival on a list of most wanted terrorists, al-Harati’s supporters
and sponsors are fading into the woodwork as the shifting sands of
the Arab Gulf are making old friends into enemies and old causes are
becoming lost.
***
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