Qatar’s royals: Up to no good again?

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Jerusalem Post

The drone killing of Qasem Soleimani surprised many of us, but the Iranian General’s role in covertly spreading terrorism – especially against Israel and the West through extraterritorial organizations – should be no surprise. It’s a common ploy in the Middle East.

 

As a member of Congress, I joined many colleagues on the House Foreign Affairs Committee in condemning another country’s role in funding terrorism across the Middle East: Qatar. That gas-rich sheikdom’s funding of Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, and extremist groups – and not least its longstanding partnership with Iran – is unprecedented among nations which receive US military support and other benefits.

Eventually, 12 countries, enraged at Qatar’s meddling in their domestic and foreign affairs, especially through its funding of extremist groups, cut their diplomatic ties. Facing severe global pressure, Qatar made a few concessions to reduce its support of terrorist groups.

 

However, funding seems to have continued, although through veiled means. These schemes are chronicled in The Qatar Papers, a recent book based on Qatar Charity’s internal documents, which describe the funneling of the NGO’s monies to secretly foment Islamic fundamentalism. The book documents funding through 2016, and experts attest that it continues.

 

One expert, widely cited in the book, is Lorenzo Vidino, the director of the Program on Extremism at George Washington University. He has conducted 20 years of research on Qatar and Muslim Brotherhood financing in the West. Prof. Vidino has found abundant evidence of Qatar’s covert funding of extremism throughout the world, including the West, through both overt and covert channels

 

One recent case, concerning an aggrieved party that my firm represents, strongly suggests how Qatar has continued to fund terrorism. The United Kingdom’s High Court heard the client’s legal case and ruled for the client in an award now totaling $6 billion, an attention-getting sum.