Ex-Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani sparked controversy after latest tweets on social media as they were massively ridiculed.
Sheikh Hamad posted tweets on Tuesday to criticise the protests that rocked Qatar on Monday, in opposition to the new electoral law for the first legislative elections in the country, due to be held in October.
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani recently ratified the electoral law that stipulates “anyone whose original nationality is Qatari and is 18 years of age and above shall have the right to elect members of the Shura Council. Those who have acquired Qatari nationality, provided that their grandfather is Qatari and was born in Qatar, shall be excluded from the original nationality condition.”
نحن نمر في تجربة لا اريد ان اسميها ديمقراطية بل هي مشاركة شعبية وفي كل تجربة جديدة تحصل بعض الثغرات ولكن ما هكذا تورد الابل.
— حمد بن جاسم بن جبر (@hamadjjalthani) August 10, 2021
The law also stipulates that candidates’ “original nationality must be Qatari” and they must also be over 30 years of age.
The conditions for candidacy and election sparked protests and controversy on social media, with the requirement that the candidate must “originally be Qatari” provoking public anger.
Some members of the Al-Murrah tribe, who do not meet the required conditions, posted several videos in protest at what they described as the “arbitrary law that prevents them from running for the Shura Council elections.”
Activists launched the hashtag #Al_Murrah_Qatari_People_Before_the_Government, highlighting that the tribe was in Qatar before a government was ever formed.
On his twitter account, Sheikh Hamad said, “Any supportive position in favour of the emir is a duty to the nation and the guardian [Emir], and no one should view such a support as an act of kindness beyond what is due. Since ancient times, he who does not support his guardian and his country has been dishonoured. As I said, this support is a duty, under any circumstances and at any time and any place.”
He continued in another tweet, “These attitudes, including demands and grievances, should be presented according to the tradition that we are accustomed to within the Qatari family. We should not deviate from these customs under any circumstances. The Qatari family resolves its disputes under the banner of the nation, and under the banner of the guardian, especially since there is a Grievances Committee that was ordered by the Emir.”
He said, “We are going through a new experience that I do not want to call democracy, but rather a form of popular participation; and in every new experience, some issues arise, but this is not how things are tackled.”
Some users on Twitter denounced Sheikh Hamad’s statements, stressing that they are inconsistent and hypocritical, and that they repudiate the history of tribes. These users later launched the hashtag #Hamad_Bin_Jassim_Repudiates _Tribes’_History.
“A new insult to the Qatari people by equating the mercenaries who claim to defend the people for the sake of Rolex watches, jobs, contracts and salaries with the sons of the indigenous tribes, who are deeply rooted in the land of Qatar,” a Twitter user, @ZHRANCO, wrote.
Sheikh Hamad, who claims to support democracy, is known as the “godfather” of the so-called the Arab Spring, given his supportive stances for the protests that spread across the Arab region at the beginning of the last decade.
Hundreds of Qataris belonging to the Al-Murrah tribe gathered Monday in the village of Umm Al-Zabbar, west of Doha, to demand an amendment to the conditions for participation in the upcoming elections for the Shura Council.
The majority of Qataris, observers say, are deeply divided over what is happening in their country.
اي موقف يقفه المواطن او المقيم فهذا واجب للوطن ولولي الامر ولا يجب على كائناً من كان ان يمن بهذه المواقف على بلده او على اميره فمن قديم الزمان يعيّر من لم يقف مثل هذه المواقف ولا يرددها اي وطني لانها مثل ماذكرت واجب تحت اي ظرف وفي اي زمان ومكان،
— حمد بن جاسم بن جبر (@hamadjjalthani) August 10, 2021
Qatari supporters of the new electoral law say it does not specifically target the Al-Murrah tribe, but is based on the 2005 Nationality Law, which does not grant political rights to naturalized citizens.
Sheikh Hamad’s position was in harmony with the positions of some members of the Qatari ruling family.
Sheikha Maryam Al Thani tweeted, “Some people think that by being arrogant, rude, and arrogant and threatening, they can get what (they believe) is (right)! What you want is (a demand) and demands are not negotiated in this way that makes others see you as an outcast, who is (uneducated and hated)! Ask for what you want, but with politeness and self-respect!”
The Qatari Ministry of Interior later said that seven people had been referred to the Public Prosecution after “using social media as a tool to spread false news and stir up racial and tribal strife.”
The ministry added in a tweet, “The concerned authorities found that the content published in their accounts is connected to the subject of the accusation. They were then referred to the Public Prosecution to fulfil its procedures in this regard.”
This article has been adapted from its original source.
