As reported previously on WL Central, a facebook group appeared calling for a protest "against corruption" in Qatar. "Support the revolution, Qatar February 27 against corruption."
As we reported then, Neither the posted info nor the comments have issued more specific demands, than to "topple this corrupt regime" but 500 people have liked the page which has been up since around February 8. The current Emir of Qatar, Hamad Bin Khalifa took control from his father in 1995. He has been criticized in the Arab world for meeting with Israeli minister Tzipi Livni, and for supporting the Al Jazeera news network which is critical of other Arab governments and frequently airs western and Israeli views.
Now a new Facebook page is calling for protests on March 16, and twitter is divided between retweets of
"It was written by non qatari people. It was 27feb and no body react to it and then they moved it to new date."
and
"Facebook Page of #16March Revolt in Qatar Was Blocked inside #Qatar"
The new Facebook page has 35,266 followers, so some momentum is being built somewhere, whether within or without the country. PressTV and Middle East Online have both reported the page today, so probably extra media attention has helped.
Meanwhile, Ennahar Online has announced a failed coup d'état against the Emir by "thirty senior Qatari army", and they assert that some are now under house arrest. They also report a declaration, signed by 66 political opponents as well as Qatari personalities and ruling families, including 16 figures from the ruling family, in which they announced the non-recognition of the legitimacy of the Emir Hamed Ben Khalifa, and sought to replace him by his brother Abdelaziz Ben Khalifa ben Hamed in France. The statement, which Ennahar provides no source for, they say contains serious accusations against the current Emir of Qatar, among others, relations with Israel and the United States of America. He is accused of working for the United States and creating discord among Arab countries in addition to his involvement with the family of his wife in corruption and social injustice against thousands of Qatari citizens. The signatories of the statement have mentioned the wife of the Emir, known as "Sheikha Mouza Bint Nacer El Mesned ", whose appearances in various media, clothed contrary to the customs of Qatar which they considered "indecent". His children, they add, have monopolized power and property of Qatari through use of power.
Ennahar ties this report of an attempted coup d'état and an important declaration to the Facebook group, saying the signatories to the declaration, who they do not name, ask people to use Facebook to call for the end of the regime.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Theme by Danetsoft and Danang Probo Sayekti inspired by Maksimer
Sheikh Hammad and Sheikha Mouza Bint Nasser al Missnad
My wife and I worked for 5 years in Qatar and find this news most distressing, especially having witnessed in that time frame the wonderful things that the Emir did for his country and his people. He took possession of a bankrupt country and brought it forward into the forefront of technology, education, health care by providing infrastructure based on the idea of non-sustainable resources, i.e., what will happen when the money runs out. Granted, Qatar is one of the richest countries in the world per capita right now, but with nothing other than gas and oil, the Emir has turned his country into a "destination" not a "Is there really such a country?" kind of place. My wife and I saw education, health care and social responsibility become the hallmarks of his reign and pray that he stays in charge for a long, long time. He is a remarkable man in that he recognizes the ability of women to make a valuable contribution to the country and has utilized the brilliant mind of his wife Sheikha Mouza to help many of these things that he conceptualizes into realities. My wife and I met the Emir and Sheikha Mouza on several occasions and came away each time with increased respect for their integrity and honest concern not just for themselves, but for their country and their people. I think that the current situation is brought about by people who have too much time on their hands due to the generosity of His Highness so that they time to take a "mole hill and turn it into a mountain," and are able to draw other malcontents in with them. I hope that they are dealt with justly, as I feel certain that the Emir will do.
Dr. James Pat Craig
Sheikh Hammad and Sheikha Mouza Bint Nasser al Missnad
...wow you were sooo lucky....how much did they pay you to say this??
The Emir has many very loyal
The Emir has many very loyal supporters who are saying just that without being paid. While the country certainly does have corruption, censorship, etc., like every other country in the world, this protest does not seem to aim at remedying that. Rather, all the material I have seen would like the Qatar government to take a far more hard line attitude, against its positions on Al Jazeera and women's rights for instance. This attempted protest is not pro-democracy, it is pro hardline Islam.