This week saw a Twitter storm brewing between social media users in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia when a political figure in the UAE fired at Saudi's King Salman over his hosting of several key Muslim Brotherhood supporters in the country this month.
Dubai's ex-police chief Dahy Khakfan took to Twitter earlier this week criticizing the Saudi king for hosting a recent visit with Khaled Meshal, who is the leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas and regarded by Gulf countries as a Muslim Brotherhood supporter, and Abdulmajeed Alzendany, a Yemeni cleric who has also become well known for his support of the Brotherhood.
The trouble started when the Emirati political figure took to the social media site with this message on Sunday.
تنظيم الإخوان اليوم اطيح برؤوس مصرييه وبقي أذنه في الخليج يتحركون..!!..الخليج اليوم يربي تنظيم الإخوان الخليجي في معظم دوله
— ضاحي خلفان تميم (@Dhahi_Khalfan) July 19, 2015Translation: Muslim brotherhood got overthrown by Egyptians however it remained is the gulf. the gulf today is raising the Muslim Brotherhood ideology in most of its countries.
Responses from users across the region followed, some defending the Saudi King, while others pointing out that Khalfan was not an official Emirati spokesperson, so his opinions shouldn't be taken as such.
أمس #ضاحي_خلفان_يهاجم_الملك_سلمان واليوم #هيكل_يهاجم_السعوديه وستسمعون نباح بقيّة الكلاب لاحقاً ولكن !! نبح الكلاب لايصل السحاب *_*
— عبدالله المطلق (@mersalalhooob) July 21, 2015Translation: Dahy Khalfan and Mahmoud Hekal criticized King Salman's policy, the dogs started to bark, but their noise will never reach the clouds.
#ضاحي_خلفان مجرد موظف وجرأته على الحكام ﻻيكون مجرد دون أن يكون اداة تستخدم للنيل من غيرهم #ضاحي_خلفان_يهاجم_الملك_سلمان يبي له #عاصفة_الحزم
— الفارس (@mohsen1379) July 21, 2015Translation: Dahy Khalfan is just a tool to perform certain media tasks by the rulers.
#ضاحي_خلفان_يهاجم_الملك_سلمان بسراحه لايعنيني ان هاجم او مدح اوتراجع ف النهايه هو لا يمثل الا نفسه .والقافله تسير والكلاب تنبح
— אנחנו נשחרר את עזה (@nbqxo) July 21, 2015Translation: honestly I don't care what he says, after all he represent himself and has no political position in UAE.
Others suggested the ex-police chief had a controversial political relationship of his own at stake with ousted Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh who — with the Saudi-led airstrike campaign in Yemen still raging against his allied Houthi militant group — is at increasing odds with Saudi leadership.
كأني ب #ضاحي_خلفان مكلف من صديقه الحميم #علي_صالح بعد أن ضاقت عليه الدائره بمحاولة إيجاد شرخ بين #المملكة و #الإمارات .ولكن هيهات
— عبدالله محمد الجبرتي (@Jamoom1000Jhone) July 21, 2015Translation: Dahy Khalfan is a close friend to Ali Abullah Saleh and he is trying to create a storm in Gulf relationships to helphis old friend as things are getting tighter on him in Yemen.
Last November, the UAE designated scores of militant groups across the region as terrorist organizations, according to Al Jazeera. Among them was the Muslim Brotherhood.
